When the English painter William Turner painted his landscape compositions in the first half of the 19th century and named them Snowstorm, Shadows and Twilight and, for example, Rain, Steam and Speed, the nature depicted in these paintings was given a totally unusual image. Gone were the clear outlines of objects, further strengthened by the light falling evenly across the whole canvass. The picture was caught in a whirlwind of dancing colors. The sky opened towards the light, the world was cloaked in darkness. Two old enemies caught in a ruthless struggle. This change is probably best illustrated through the works of two Venetian painters, the older Canaletto and the younger Guardi. The former offers us an image of the world which can practically be touched, with all its details, while the latter drowns the lagoon city in a foggy environment, saturated with sea vapor. Both painting approaches to landscape are still alive today, as they personify two natures of a man, two different views of the world. However, these approaches sometimes intermingle or are manifested in different ways.

Vinko Bogataj is one of the painters who find more in landscape than just nature caught in a realistic image. His comprehension of landscape includes an image of the world, constantly changing in the light and composed of dynamically playful chunks of color. In his oil paintings hazy curtains cover rock faces and soften sharp outlines of trees. The air is so saturated with moisture and light that we are hardly able to recognize the shapes of the objects in the painting. Yet the darkness, protruding from the depths of space, succumbs more and more to the light that spans triumphantly across the horizon.

We find a similar view of the world in the painter's watercolors, but the scenery is different here. Instead of mountain tops and deep valleys we are greeted by soft and translucent images of flowers, architecture, towns and villages, the shapes of trees replaced by dark silhouettes of people. Even this image of the world, however, is too realistic for the painter. He covers it with shadows, layers of color blurs, and dematerializes it completely, thus making it ever more real. This landscape image, which to the painter is more real than any photograph, reflects his holistic perception of the world. At the same time this landscape image represents his self-portrayal, which holds no secrets. The painter reveals his feelings and premonitions, his thoughts, searching within himself as well as gazing upon the world which surrounds him.

Bogataj's world of shadows, darkness and light has recently been losing even more of its realistic foundation. It has been transforming itself into a seeming image of movement, which the painter manages to capture not only in the shadows of dancing people, but also in the sound of the trumpet racing across the landscape as a playful wave of color.

Cene Avguštin (translated by Gregor Födransperg – Fedr, www.fedr.net)