18th Exhibition of paintings by Jana Dolenc: Unveilings

The academic painter Jana Dolenc fulfills her artistic mission with dedication, seismographic sensitivity, and an exploratory spirit. On her journey of searching, creative yearning, testing of visual means, self-inquiry, and the unveiling of thoughts and emotions, she has consistently listened to her inner voice. Through this, she has built a distinctly personal and authentic artistic character—one that visually convinces with its maturity while still preserving the spark of creative curiosity.

Jana’s work constantly awakens the living environment. Her paintings are inspired by the colorful world of unspoiled nature—lush vegetation, picturesque rock formations, and the unique beauty and energy of water, particularly the emerald Soča River, the Tolminka, and other rivers in the region. Her admiration for creation was long translated into a committed dialogue with reality in her earlier works. Over time, she gradually distanced herself from realism. Through expressive simplification and a focus on essentials—filtered through her personal interpretation—she transitioned into the realm of abstraction. Her motifs became increasingly introspective. Seeing transformed into deep feeling, and the role of formal visual elements became ever more prominent.

Thus began the Unveilings series—a cycle that spans a broad field of abstraction. Yet within it, one can still find traces of the tangible, drawn from reality and expressed in symbolic, metaphorical, or associative ways.

The interpretive turning point began with the artist’s view through a small attic window. Jana stylized this form into a symbolic sign, stepping into a world of purified shapes that speak in the language of symbols. She expanded this interest into broader symbolic signs and their variable visual representations.

Her move toward deeper meaning wasn’t only formal, but also textural. She began layering her works with characteristically diverse color applications, at times enriched by delicate collage elements. Her fascination with the surface effects created by underlying layers became a central creative drive, giving rise to painterly effects akin to the modern palimpsest. This approach is compelling both visually and conceptually—it underscores the painter’s thematic direction. The underlying layers that subtly emerge onto the surface shape the overall color and texture of her works. The application, removal, and even wiping away of paint become acts in the creative process that result in unique softness and delicate transitions—almost a sfumato effect. Due to the variety in application, the surfaces remain alive, gently trembling, and pulsating. The distinct chromatic atmosphere is shaped by the translucency of the lower layers. Looking through them unveils much—it leads into a depth that is abstract, indefinite, and infinite. While it resists clear spatial definition, it simultaneously suggests one—an illusion, an imaginary or spiritual space often illuminated by light that seems to shine from a boundless background.

The Unveilings series, with its carefully constructed compositions and tendency toward horizontal formats, along with its refined and harmonious color transitions, evokes associations with landscape. But these are not landscapes of the visible world, nor even of the artist’s personal past—they are introspective spaces, paysages de l’âme, landscapes of the soul.

Jana Dolenc often begins a painting with vibrant color, which gradually softens. Her hues are delicate, pastel. Their charm lies in their layering. She carefully selects tones that are closely related, achieving harmony and richness. The warmth and radiance of the initial layer shine through the many paint applications, imbuing even the surface with a distinctive chromatic atmosphere. Despite the density of color, a deep spatial effect remains intact, allowing light and warmth to shine through the complex pictorial fabric. In many works, intriguing contrasts arise between earthy tones and blues—signifying a dialogue between the material and the spiritual.

Her abstract fields are composed in two main ways: through soft, open layers of color, or through clearly defined, enclosed color planes. The poetic atmosphere of these visual spaces, often suggestive of a spiritual landscape, is at times disrupted by gestural painterly action. In some paintings, line traces form circular movements, creating “nests” that hold both personal and universal symbolism. Today, lines appear less frequently and are used as spontaneous, emotional reactions. Occasionally, a precise geometric element is added—a line of color reinforcing a horizon, becoming a pillar, or appearing as a massive vertical form. These elements reflect a creative direction moving toward the symbolic and the sublime, requiring viewers to peel back many veils in their journey of visual and thematic interpretation.

The transition from image to metaphor arises from committed and profound exploration. Through this, Jana Dolenc has created a unique yet solid bridge between the universal and the personal—an open passage between the visual, the meaningful, and the spiritual.

Anamarija Stibilj Šajn

About the author

The academic painter Jana Dolenc was born on May 2, 1964, in Ljubljana. She attended primary and secondary school in Tolmin and graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana in 1988 under Professor Metka Kraševec.

Her creative work comprises several thematic series. The first, entitled Water and Stone, was inspired by the Soča River and its tributaries. In the rocky masses carved and softened by water, the artist sought recognizable forms.

From 1993 to 2003, she lived in the Netherlands, where she moved after getting married. During this time, she focused on the human figure and related themes. She now lives with her family and creates art in Kamno near Kobarid.

Even before returning to Slovenia, she began the first paintings in the series Music in Motion and Color. In these works, the artist attempts to follow the rhythm and melody of a particular musical genre with her brush. Her brushstrokes are expressive, and the color palette is adapted to the mood dictated by the music.

For her more recent works in the series Revealing, Jana Dolenc drew inspiration from nature and architecture. These highly abstract pieces range from expressive, gesture-based compositions to more restrained and harmoniously colored ones. They are marked by a sense of transparency, achieved through alternating layers and washes of color.

To date, she has held over 40 solo exhibitions and has participated in numerous group shows. She frequently takes part in art colonies as well.

She has illustrated 19 books and has decorated numerous public spaces with wall and glass surface paintings. For many years, she has served as a mentor to the art association of Tolmin and a group of amateur painters from Renče near Nova Gorica.