Gabriel Jurkić
Winter, 1925
oil on cardboard
32.5 x 89.5 cm
MG-6800

In the snowy idyll Winter from 1925, Gabriel Jurkić depicts the Bosnian plateau blanketed in a deep pristine whiteness, exalting the divine beauty and harmony. Rendered in an elongated horizontal format and a myriad of icy white and bluish hues, the scene exudes a sense of majestic tranquillity and silence. Donated to the NMMU Collection in 2003, this painting is also emblematic of a remarkable series of winter landscapes that Jurkić created during the 1920s, skilfully blending Impressionist techniques with the ornamental flair of Art Nouveau. The Winter cycle, produced at the height of his career, received widespread critical praise, and its popularity with the public is underscored by the sale of over two hundred paintings following the exhibition of the same name in 1922 at the prestigious Salon Ullrich in Zagreb.
Gabriel Jurkić (Livno, BiH, 1886–1974) received his artistic training in Zagreb under Bela Čikoš-Sesija and Menci Clement Crnčić before continuing his studies at the Academy in Vienna, where he trained with Alois Delug and later specialised under Kazimierz Pochwalski. His first major works, created in the spirit of Symbolism and Art Nouveau, include Plateau in Bloom (1914, from the collection of the National Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo) and Path to Eternity (1918, from the NMMU collection). Through his depictions of his homeland as a vision of earthly and celestial harmony, Jurkić established himself as one of the foremost landscape painters of the 20th century. Over a career spanning more than six decades, he painted not only landscapes but also portraits and religious themes. While his early work reflected Impressionist influences, his later style was marked by a more spiritual realism. In addition to painting, he was involved in printmaking, book design and illustration, as well as restoration.

Text: Lada Bošnjak Velagić, museum advisor at 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