Colours oft the distance.

The painter Ante Trstenjak and the Lusatian Sorbs

Lusatia plays an important role in the work of the Slovenian artist Ante Trstenjak (1894–1970). Fascinated by the diverse costumes of Sorbian women and girls, he traveled to Upper and Lower Lusatia for studies that shaped his artistic work until the 1960s.

During his first stay in Lusatia in 1928, 30 paintings as well as numerous sketches and drafts were made in addition to depictions of traditional costumes, landscapes, city and village views.

Prague was the home of the painter for a long time: he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts (1920–1923) and worked here until he moved to Maribor in Slovenia in 1950. During his studies he wanted to capture Lusatia and its Sorbian costumes. Decisive for this was the Lusatian work cycle by the Czech painter Ludvík Kuba exhibited in Prague in 1922.

The exhibition and the accompanying catalog of the Sorbian Museum in Bautzen were created in close cooperation with the Umetnostna galerija Maribor and the Národní muzeum Prague as well as other partners at home and abroad. The exhibition catalog is only the second more extensive monograph on the artist.

The catalog accompanying the special exhibition (ISBN 978-3-9822276) is available in the museum shop for 19,90 €.