Stanislav Rapotec

Stanislav Ivan Rapotec AM (4 October 1913 – 18 November 1997) was a Slovenian artist. He was born in Trieste when it was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1918 he moved with his family to Ljubljana, part of the newly created Yugoslavia. After military training as a reserve officer, he began his career with the National Bank of Yugoslavia in Split where he also developed his skill as an artist.

Stanislav Rapotec was born in Trieste in 1913, however he grew up in Ljubljana as his family moved there during 1918. He studied economics at the University of Zagreb from 1933 to 1939. In 1939, he moved to Split, where we worked at a bank. He decided to take up painting during this time.

Rapotec was mobilized into the Royal Yugoslav Army before the invasion of Yugoslavia by Germany and Italy on 6 April 1941. Rapotec was taken prisoner by the Germans, but subsequently escaped to Split controlled by the Italian army. Rapotec escaped to Split, where he fought for the Yugoslavian government in exile. He had also visited Jerusalem, where he met Julian Amery of the British Special Operations Executive. In January 1942, he covertly returned to Split. He spent April to June of that year in Zagreb. During this time he met with the Archbishop of Zagreb Aloysius Stepinac five times. Later in July, he went back to the middle eastern region. He was feared lost by the allies. He has traveled from Split to Mostar to Zagreb (where he had sheltered for 2 and a half months and met surviving Jews and Serbs) to Belgrade, and finally to Turkey.

After the war, Stanislav moved to Adelaide, Australia, where he started to paint again. In 1955, he moved to Sydney. He started using his name in Latinized form (Stanislaus, or simply Stan). In 1961, he won Blake Prize for Religious Art. After his wife, Andree, had died, he traveled and painted all across Europe. He died in Sydney due a stoke in 1997.

Stanislav Rapotec is famous for his art works, which are all exhibited in London, Rome, Paris, and the U.S.. He also is known for his famous quote, "To become an artist, you must have a life rich with experience, a strong desire to express yourself, a will strong enough to carry out this desire, and ... talent,".