Vladimir Udatny
Sketch for a Motif from Draga, 1952
oil on paper
26.5 x 40 cm
MG-2329

Vladimir Udatny (Voćin, 1920 – Rijeka, 1972) was a prominent Croatian painter of the second half of the 20th century. He studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, refining his skills under the mentorship of Marino Tartaglia (Zagreb, 1894 – 1984) and Tomislav Krizman (Orlovac near Karlovac, 1882 – Zagreb, 1955). In 1952, he moved to Rijeka, where he made his permanent home and continued his artistic career. In the early 1960s, he published the print portfolios Twelve Harlequins and Motifs from Rijeka. In the early phase of his career, his work was influenced by post-impressionism, with elements of abstraction, while his later works were characterised by surrealist and metaphysical themes. Apart from painting, he also engaged in graphic and stage design, regularly writing art critiques and travel pieces for newspapers and specialised journals.
At his first solo exhibition in Rijeka in 1952, the Rijeka painter Jakov Smokvina (Rijeka, 1903 – Volosko, 1987) noted Udatny’s particular focus on painting motifs from Draga, near Rijeka. Udatny often stated that it was with these subjects that he refined his painting techniques, striving to create a “portrait of the landscape.” He rendered his landscapes using a plein-air technique, with each work conveying a distinct emotional experience. The painting Sketch for a Motif from Draga is dominated by earthy tones, with warm green accents in the foreground contrasting with the cooler blue hues in the background. In addition to landscapes featuring scenes from Rijeka, Gorski Kotar, and Istria, as well as various views of Rovinj, Plomin, Rijeka, Split, and Venice from his travels, he also painted portraits and still lifes.

Text: Luciana Fuks, trainee curator at the National Museum of Modern Art © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb
Photo: Goran Vranić © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb