Staying at Home with Zbirka UGM / Elda Piščanec - Self Portrait
Staying at Home with Zbirka UGM / Elda Piščanec - Self Portrait
Elda Piščanec belongs to a generation of female artists who managed to establish themselves despite living in a time when art academies were not open to women. Piščanec was first taught by Rihard Jakopič; she then attended the Florence Royal Academy of Art and continued her training in sacral art workshops in Paris under Maurice Denis and André Lhote. Despite her promising start Piščanec was never fully, properly acknowledged, likely largely the result of her never following the art trends of the day. By 1935 she had become focused almost exclusively on religious subjects. In this self-portrait Piščanec positions herself in a three-quarter profile, wearing a light pink dress and a short-cut hairstyle. She wants to present herself as a confident, well-groomed young woman. The work was painted during her studies in Paris or shortly afterwards. Noticeable are a voluminous approach to the rendering the figure, a clearly shaped head in three-quarter profile and the harmonious pink tones. Over time the artist's style did not change much. Paris introduced more light and a certain softness into her work; this is particularly true for devotional subject matter. Under the influence of French artists Piščanec used purer colours and more daring combinations in her still-lifes, portraits and landscapes; by the same token, however, she always remained true to direct, firm Realism.
