Dalibor Parać
Dusk, 1997
oil on canvas
117 x 140 cm
MG-7664

Dalibor Parać (Solin, 1921 – Zagreb, 2009) was a Croatian painter and medallist. He enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb in 1940, studying under Omer Mujadžić and Krsto Hegedušić, and graduating from Ljubo Babić’s class in 1948. He completed advanced training with Babić in 1950 and collaborated with Krsto Hegedušić’s Master Workshop from 1950 to 1952. From 1952 to 1961 he taught drawing and calligraphy at the School of Applied Arts and Design in Zagreb, where he also served as director. In 1961, he joined the Academy of Fine Arts, teaching drawing and painting in the Graphic Arts and later the Painting Department, also serving as dean from 1971 to 1974. Although he retired in 1986, he continued working in his studio at the Academy until his death in 2009. He was a member of the Zagreb-based Forum Gallery from 1976 to 1993 and was recognised with the Annual and the City of Zagreb Awards in 1977 and 1993, as well as the Vladimir Nazor Lifetime Achievement Award.
Parać’s Dusk (1997) portrays the slopes of Klis as a landscape of memory at twilight. Silhouettes of two women, carrying loads on their heads, are set against the cool tones of the surrounding scenery. While the palette is predominantly cool, the painting conveys a sense of intimacy with the place and moment, its warmth emerging from vivid touches of red and yellow. The interplay of cool and warm tones intensifies the emotional resonance of the scene, and Parać’s short, expressive brushstrokes transform it into a lively, dynamic depiction of everyday life – a harmonious blend of lyrical reflection, gesture, and light.

Text: Lovre Mrduljaš © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb
Photo: Goran Vranić © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb