Janez Potočnik - Januš
(1892–1983)
Janez Potočnik – Januš, whose life and creative path was described after his death by Andrej Pavlovec, left a part of his painting opus to the Škofja Loka Museum even before he died in 1983. His wife Bojana Potočnik looked after these works until the beginning of June 1996 when they were handed over to the museum.
Potočnik lived in a small apartment on the first floor of the “old school” in Dutovlje, where the Memory Education Centre is now located.
Potočnik lived in a small apartment on the first floor of the “old school” in Dutovlje, where the Memory Education Centre is now located.
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Janez Potočnik – Januš was born on 10 May 1892 in Škofja Loka. His schooling began in Škofja Loka, continued in Ljubljana and finished at the Mahr School of Commerce. Even though he successfully completed his schooling, he started painting. At first, his parents did not support his decision, but later decided to support him during his two-year studies at the Munich academy. When he returned home in 1919, he started working in the Krevs Mill and then took over the leather store in 1922.
Potočnik drew upon artistic knowledge wherever his feet path took him. In 1938, he attended the Belgrade academy as well as a special drawing course. In 1940, he received a stipend and used his savings to move to Venice. His time in the city of commerce and art came to an end too fast because he was soon deported due to the coming war. He painted in Bosnia until the war started, but the occupation brought him back to Belgrade. He lived in Loznica at the time of liberation. In 1945, he returned to Škofja Loka where he taught drawing for two years. He was soon transferred to Hrpelje and later to Tomaj where he worked as an arts teacher until he retired. This is how he found his way to Dutovlje to a small apartment in the “old school” where the Memory Education Centre can now be found. He created important paintings with Dutovlje vedutas there. |
His painting work was mostly realistic and naturalistic. He cooperated with acknowledged Slovenian painters, such as Ivan Grohar, Tone Kralj and Rihard Jakopič. During his lifetime, he held only three exhibitions and few people knew him as a painter. Before dying, he donated his paintings to the Škofja Loka Museum where they are displayed in a gallery for all to see. Potočnik died on 10 June 1983 in Tomaj.
Source: Andrej PAVLOVEC, Loški razgledi, 1983