Anton Vodnik
Encyclopedia
Anton Vodnik was a Slovenia
n poet
, art historian, and critic
. He was one of the most notable representatives of Slovene Catholic expressionism
in the interwar period
.
He was born in Ljubljana
, and studied art history at the University of Vienna
. He was member of the circle of young Slovene Catholic intellectuals gathered around the Christian left
journal Križ na gori. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, he emerged as a renowned polemicist, especially directed against the influential left liberal critic Josip Vidmar
, with whom he nevertheless maintained a cordial relationship. In the 1930s, he became one of the most notable contributors to the Catholic literary journal Dom in svet
.
Vodnik published his first collection of poetry in 1920. His poetics was strongly influenced by late fin-de-siecle symbolism
, especially Rilke and Maurice Maeterlinck
. Vodnik was influential as a poet especially during the 1920s, while since the 1930s, his influence started to decline, due to the popularity of social realism
and the emergence of a new aesthetic sensibility among young Catholic authors that embraced new objectivity
on one hand, and a more mystical tradition on the other.
He died in Ljubljana.
He was the brother of the literary critic France Vodnik
.
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, art historian, and critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
. He was one of the most notable representatives of Slovene Catholic expressionism
Expressionism
Expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas...
in the interwar period
Interwar period
Interwar period can refer to any period between two wars. The Interbellum is understood to be the period between the end of the Great War or First World War and the beginning of the Second World War in Europe....
.
He was born in Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, and studied art history at the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
. He was member of the circle of young Slovene Catholic intellectuals gathered around the Christian left
Christian left
The Christian left is a term originating in the United States, used to describe a spectrum of left-wing Christian political and social movements which largely embraces social justice....
journal Križ na gori. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, he emerged as a renowned polemicist, especially directed against the influential left liberal critic Josip Vidmar
Josip Vidmar
Josip Vidmar was a prominent Slovenian literary critic and essayist. Vidmar is remembered because of his role in the Slovenian resistance during World War II, and for his influence in the cultural policies of the Titoist regime in Slovenia from the mid 1950s to the mid 1970s.He was born in...
, with whom he nevertheless maintained a cordial relationship. In the 1930s, he became one of the most notable contributors to the Catholic literary journal Dom in svet
Dom in svet
Dom in svet was a Catholic cultural and literary journal in Slovenia, published from 1888 to 1943. Its long-running rivalry with the national-liberal journal Ljubljanski zvon was a major feature of Slovenian cultural life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; historian Péter Krasztev...
.
Vodnik published his first collection of poetry in 1920. His poetics was strongly influenced by late fin-de-siecle symbolism
Symbolism (arts)
Symbolism was a late nineteenth-century art movement of French, Russian and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts. In literature, the style had its beginnings with the publication Les Fleurs du mal by Charles Baudelaire...
, especially Rilke and Maurice Maeterlinck
Maurice Maeterlinck
Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck, also called Comte Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who wrote in French. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911. The main themes in his work are death and the meaning of life...
. Vodnik was influential as a poet especially during the 1920s, while since the 1930s, his influence started to decline, due to the popularity of social realism
Social realism
Social Realism, also known as Socio-Realism, is an artistic movement, expressed in the visual and other realist arts, which depicts social and racial injustice, economic hardship, through unvarnished pictures of life's struggles; often depicting working class activities as heroic...
and the emergence of a new aesthetic sensibility among young Catholic authors that embraced new objectivity
New Objectivity
The New Objectivity is a term used to characterize the attitude of public life in Weimar Germany as well as the art, literature, music, and architecture created to adapt to it...
on one hand, and a more mystical tradition on the other.
He died in Ljubljana.
He was the brother of the literary critic France Vodnik
France Vodnik
France Vodnik was a Slovenian literary critic, essayist, translator and poet from Ljubljana. He was mostly active in the interwar period, when Slovenia was part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia...
.