Milivoj Uzelac
Portrait of a Young Man, 1936
oil on canvas
162 x 115 cm
inv. no. MG-973

Intimate setting, intense colourway and a vigorous presence of the figure of a young man are characteristic of Milivoj Uzelac (Mostar, 1897 – Pasto Sobre, Cotignac, 1977) and his painting in the 1930s. Portrait of a Young Man depicts a dancer in a leotard, a short-sleeved shirt and ballet slippers leaning against an armchair. In the background to the left, we can see a bookshelf with red-bound books, and on the floor to the right is a framed painting leaning against the wall.

Uzelac’s painting education began in 1912 when he started attending T. Krizman’s paining school, after which he studied at the Provisional Advanced School of Arts and Fine Crafts (1913-1914). As a deserter in Prague, he worked in Jan Preisler’s studio and occasionally attended lectures at the Academy. After the end of World War I, he returned to Zagreb where he participated in the Spring Salon. The 7th Exhibition was the first time he showed his work together with Vilko Gecan, Marijan Trepše and Vladimir Varlaj. Since they all returned from Prague and represented the new, expressionist current in Croatian art, they are often called the Prague Four. Uzelac permanently moved to France in 1923, exhibited at the Salon d’Automne, and since 1924 was constantly active within the Parisian art circle. He nevertheless also staged regular exhibitions in his homeland. Initially, he was preoccupied with drawing and printmaking, but he soon abandoned Academicism. He is inspired by Kraljević and Paris, and his expression becomes increasingly freer, he experiments with cubist and expressionist styles and predominantly erotic themes. In terms of his style, it ranged from Expressionism through Neo-Cubism to Classicism.

Tekst: Marta Radman, curator apprentice © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb, 2022.
Foto: Goran Vranić © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb, 2022.

 

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