On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Education Department at the National Gallery of Slovenia, we are opening an exhibition of children’s creations that were produced as part of Gal’s art competition, which will take place on 8 February, the Slovene Cultural Holiday. The competition was launched on 8 February 2012, and lasted until the end of last year. 17 nursery and 33 primary schools responded, which attended the organized views of the collection at the National Gallery of Slovenia in the previous year. Several young visitors that came to the gallery independently also took part. Out of the more than one thousand submitted works, 175 drawings and paintings were selected. Each participating class or nursery group is represented in the exhibition by at least two artworks.
The children’s artworks can be divided into two groups. The first encompasses the image of Gal and the dwarf’s adventures in the gallery, while the second set presents the children’s re-creations of the paintings exhibited in the gallery. Children, therefore, in their own way added to the words of Svetlana Makarovič and to the illustrations of Kostja Gatnik, which they had encountered in the books Gal in the Gallery and The Ghost in the Gallery.
The following paintings from the permanent collection Art in Slovenia were most inspiring to the young artists:
Hans Georg Geiger: St George Slaying the Dragon
Anonymous Painter, mid 17th century: John George, Count Lamberg
Fortunat Bergant: Ana Marija, Baroness Erberg
Matevž Langus, attributed: Julija Primic with her Brother Janez
Mihael Stroj: Luiza Pesjak
Anton Karinger: The Dog
Jurij Šubic: Before the Hunt
Anton Ažbe: Black Woman
Ivana Kobilca: Summer
Matej Sternen: The Red Parasol
Matija Jama: Circle Dance
The greatest attention from the childhood audience in the collection of European Paintings was bestowed upon the following:
Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun: Elizabetha Isabella Mniszech
Franc Kavčič/Caucig: Narcissus
Luca Giordano: Prometheus Bound
Lombard school: A Vase with Flowers
The children used various art techniques, which afforded them a broad expressive scope. Utilised most frequently were colour pencils, wax crayons, watercolours or tempera paints, as well as a combination of felt-tips and watercolours. The most original young artists also made use of mixed media, like finger painting and collage printing.
And for the end, let us deliver Gal’s thanks and congrats to all the youngsters that took part in Gal’s competition! Gal was overwhelmed by your masterpieces! However, we must also acknowledge all the diligent parents and grandparents, as well as nursery and school teachers – the art mentors, who made sure that the gallery visit grew into a veritable art experience.
Selection of children’s works
Kristina Preininger
Preparation of children’s works
Tina Buh
Exhibition set-up
Tina Buh, Tanja Milharčič, Kristina Preininger
8 February–30 March 2013
Extended until 30 June 2013
National Gallery of Slovenia, Prešernova 24
1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia