The Sava River is a very frequent motif in Rihard Jakopič’s landscapes, and just how important it was for the painter is also reflected in the fact that a group of impressionists chose to call themselves the Sava Group. Jakopič painted the river at various locations, with the focus of his interest being on the impression of nature along its banks and the forms of the riverbed.
One of the major rivers in this part of Europe, the Sava is a crucial meeting point between humans and nature, one that has been increasingly exploited over the past 70 years. Since the 1950s, a network of hydroelectric power plants has been growing along the river; currently there are eight in Slovenia, including one in Medvode, close to where Jakopič likely painted this picture. This type of construction entails the regulation of the watercourse and a new source of energy, but also negatively and irreversibly impacts the environment.
While the exploitation of the Sava’s hydro energy does contribute to the regulation of the water level (rather low in Slovenia) and prevents excessive flooding, recent research has indicated that the river is bound to see frequent intervals of alternating droughts and floods due to climate change. Extreme and unpredictable climate conditions will result in the dispersion of the toxic waste that is released into the river by the many industrial plants in Slovenia (e.g., Acroni in Jesenice) and other countries along the Sava. Given the prognoses of ever-rising temperatures and environmental degradation, images of the Sava such as this one painted by Jakopič will eventually be nothing but a memory.
