Vjekoslav Rukljač
(1916 – 1997)
Nude, 1963
carving, alabaster
40 x 23 x 15 cm
MG-2651

Vjekoslav Rukljač graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb in 1943, in the class of F. Kršinić, and taught at the same Academy from 1948 to 1986.
Working in marble and plaster, and both small and large formats, he produced poetic female nudes and torsos, ranging from solid, enclosed volumes to forms emphasising only the outline. He created numerous portraits of notable figures (Vladimir Nazor, 1949; Marko Orešković, 1981) and public monuments commemorating World War II casualties (Jesenje near Krapina, 1957; Bedekovčina, 1976).
The intimate sculpture Nude presents a poetic depiction of a seated young woman, with delicate suggestions of her features and her legs drawn together, wrapped by her arms. The form is distilled to its essence, softened by the smooth surface treatment and the subdued inner sheen of the alabaster. The diagonally cut surface of the head, along with the textured hair and plinth, contrast with the smooth finish of the volume and the subtle reduction and stylisation of the form.

Text: Tatijana Gareljić, museum consultant of the National Museum of Modern Art © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb
Translated by: Robertina Tomić
Photo: Goran Vranić © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb