Ivan Popovič

Ivan Popovič graduated from the Technical School of Civil Engineering and Surveying in Košice in 1962. He is an universal artist, active as visual artist, animator, director, writer, designer, illustrator, cartoonist and traveller. He belongs to founders of the Slovak animated film. He endeavoured in establishment of the Studio of Animated Film in Bratislava (1965). He created more than 130 animated films. His illustrations and cartoons are presented in many books. In 2011 he was awarded the Ľudovít Fulla Prize for his life-long illustration work for children and youth.

Ivan Popovič wrote hundreds of texts and made thousands of illustrations. His first books were created in cooperation with his brother and recently he has been working in cooperation with his son. He is an artist who provides mental and visual relaxation not only for his very young readers, but also for adults. This versatile artist has the typical style of a draftsman, creating witty, communicative figures that document various situations with ease and bravura. Samples of the general value of his illustration could be his current titles. His comical figures do not get old and always can find their audience. His bravura of a draftsman is based on simplicity and an extreme sense of optimism that can be seen in his attitude to the surrounding world through the pretended naivety and hidden wisdom; his inclination to subject others and himself to sharp ridicule makes illustrations by this artist extraordinarily popular. The artist is a traveller, who absorbs all life atmospheres and nuances. At times they are optimistic, even extremely light, which should be inhaled or forgotten with a smile, at other times they are ironic truths that he puts into souls of his little figures to show us through them how embarrassing and comic this world could be. However, his caricatures are always peaceful, pacifistic, carried in a cloud of his free life without boundaries, which usually limit us to a certain extend. His approach to life is poetic and frolicsome and his figures are nice and transparently childish. They are his 'bodies', who push out his bag or notebook at his travels.   As if the artist himself communicated and played with them in stories or films. He spontaneously makes an impression as if he talked to his heroes in his studio.
Dominant in his art is the film animation. He is an author of a comic strip. His focus is also painting, where he often and in a witty way, uncovers a piquant world of eroticism and he likes to pay charmingly honours to the woman.

Author of the text: Mgr. Barbara Brathová, art historian

Beside illustration his main focus is also the film animation, writing and painting.

Keď si doma sám (V. Popovič, Mladé letá 1962); Cengáčik na dobré ráno (M. Babinka, Mladé letá - Obzor 1968); Prázdniny so strýcom Rafaelom (V. Šikula, Slovenský spisovateľ 1975); Panpulóni (M. Válek, Slovenský spisovateľ 1975); Kvet alfabet (Ľ. Feldek, Slovenský spisovateľ 1976); Po lesných chodníkoch (R. Moric, Slovenský spisovateľ 1977); Magdalénka a škriatkovia (L. Friedová, Východoslovenské vydavateľstvo 1982, Perfekt 2013); Maľované čítanie (L. Friedová, Východoslovenské vydavateľstvo 1984); A ja sa volám Klinček! (V. Popovič, Mladé letá 1984); Človek medzi počítačmi (I. Čajka, Smena 1985); Chémia na prahu tretieho tisícročia (S. Poller, Smena 1987); Talenty cez palubu (M. Musil, Smena 1989); Lelka zo sekretára (A. Vášová, Slovenský spisovateľ 1992); Poslušné písmenká na prvé prázdniny (M. Baloghová, Mladé letá 1992); Hlavičkove rozprávky (I. Popovič, v. n. 1996); Farebné rozprávky (M. Miková, Media Group 2000, Ikar 2009, D.Orys 2017); Mať tak o koliesko viac! (I. Popovič, My Studio – Fortuna print 2001, Ikar 2017, Media RTVS 2020); Detská univerzita aj pre dospelých 1-8 (Perex - Belimex 2003-2010); Ľadové medvede v ľudskej koži (P. Dinka, Belimex 2003); Ezopove bájky (Ezop, Belimex 2004); Slovíčkovo (J. Bernard, Orman 2007); Magdalénka a škriatkovia (L. Friedová, Perfekt 2013).

Umenie pre deti. Edit. Mária Števková. Bratislava : Buvik, 1999. [88] l. ISBN 80-85507-87-0.

Slovník českých a slovenských výtvarných umělců 1950 - 2003. XI. Pau - Pop. Ostrava : Výtvarné centrum Chagall, 2003, s. 357-358. ISBN 80-86171-16-7.
BRATHOVÁ, Barbara: Slovak United Imagi Nations. Bratislava : Literárne informačné centrum, 2009, s.120-125. ISBN 978-80-89222-75-9.
Slovník slovenských spisovateľov pre deti a mládež. 2. dopl. vyd. Zost. Ondrej Sliacky.  Bratislava : Literárne informačné centrum, 2009, s. 304. ISBN 978-80-89222-64-3.

ANOŠKINOVÁ, Viera: Cena Ľudovíta Fullu 2011 Ivanovi Popovičovi. In Revue Bibiana. 2012, roč. 19,  č. 1, s. 48-49. Dostupné na internete:

http://www.bibiana.sk/sites/default/files/sites/default/files/digital_archive/rocnikxix_1_2012.pdf ISSN 1335-7263.

1984 Literary Fund Annual Prize for the book A ja sa volám Klinček! (And my name is Klinček!) 
1993 Most Beautiful Books of Slovakia 1992 for the book Poslušné písmenká na prvé prázdniny (Well Behaving Letters for the First Holiday)
1999 Most Beautiful Children's Book of the Winter for the book Farebné rozprávky (Colourful Fairy Tales)

2011 Ľudovít Fulla Award for illustrations for children and youth

Mestská knižnica Piešťany

sk.wikipedia

http://www.csfd.cz/tvurce/33407-ivan-popovic/

revue Bibiana 2004