A Tribute to Srečko Kosovel

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the death of Srečko Kosovel, the members of the art section of KUD Goriška Paleta paid tribute to his work with an exhibition entitled “A Tribute to Srečko Kosovel.”

“I would like to tell people a beautiful, kind word, a bright word, as bright as the November sun on the Karst. But my word is heavy and silent, bitter like the juniper berry of the Karst. Within it there is suffering you will never know, within it there is an illness you cannot understand. My pain is proud and silent, and more than people, it is understood by the pines on the commons and the juniper bushes behind the rocks.”
(From a poem by Srečko Kosovel, 1927)

With this poetry, Srečko Kosovel described himself best. His poems are revolutionary and raw; in them he portrays death and life. What calms him is nature, colors, Karst stone, trees. In nature he sees life; in it he seeks the peace that soothes his restless soul.

The artworks presented by the artists of KUD Goriška Paleta reflect Kosovel’s distinctive colors: white as the purity and vastness of Karst stone, blue as the infinity of the Karst sky, and green as the life that springs forth on the rocky Karst.

The exhibited works explore contrasts and harmonies of these three colors, symbolically expressing Kosovel’s creative search for light and freedom. The works are created using various techniques: watercolor, acrylic, painting on silk, and digitally generated images.

To understand the painter’s artistic confession, one must also know the life and soul of Srečko Kosovel. Each artwork, in its own way, expresses the light and freedom that the poet sought in his three favorite colors: green, white, and blue.