The Artist’s Mother
The portrait of the painter’s mother Anica Kisovec from Poljane was produced in 1880 alongside depictions of his father Štefan (NG S 434) and sister Mica (NG S 431). The portrait shows the subject from the side as she sits at a table before a dark and neutral background, from which the meticulously sketched face and hands step out. The use of colour is restrained but carefully premeditated, especially in the detail of the pink scarf around her neck. A typical scene of a rural woman is elevated and given spiritual depth as expressed through her son’s love.
After finishing his studies at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, the artist spent a year at home in Poljane above Škofja Loka, producing portraits of all his family members and closest associates, with the exception of his brother Jurij, who was elsewhere at the time. Members of the Šubic family formed particularly close and loving bonds. Even when they were abroad, brothers Janez and Jurij regularly returned to their home and loved ones through their work, as attested by a series of paintings with domestic motifs.
Artist
Janez Šubic
Year of creation
(1880)
Technique
oil, canvas
Dimensions
84 x 62,7 cm
Inventory number
NG S 426, National Gallery of Slovenia, Ljubljana
Collection
1870–1900
