Marijan Trepše
Reclining Female Nude, 1933
oil on canvas
66.8 × 80 cm
MG-1092

Marijan Trepše (Zagreb, 1897 – 1964) was one of the key representatives of Croatian Expressionism and interwar modern art. He graduated in painting in Zagreb in 1918, and later continued his training in Prague, where he absorbed the influences of Cézannism, Expressionism, and Cubism. Together with Milivoj Uzelac, Vilko Gecan, and Vladimir Varlaj, he formed the so-called “Prague Four,” a generation of artists who brought radical changes to Croatian art through the Spring Salon exhibitions. In addition to a rich body of work in painting and printmaking, Trepše was also a notable stage designer at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb. His work is characterized by remarkable technical skill and a sustained exploration of form, light, and expression.
From the early 1930s onward, the artist increasingly embraced a coloristic approach, shaping the pictorial surface with a freer, more expressive handling of paint. During this period, he produced a series of landscapes, still lifes, portraits, and monumental female nudes, often set within interior spaces. In this context, Reclining Female Nude (1933) represents a characteristic example of Trepše’s mature phase, conceived in the spirit of modernist figurative painting, with recognizable influences of Post-Impressionism and Cubism in the simplification of form and treatment of the pictorial plane. The female figure, depicted at rest, is rendered through rounded contours and a rich green-ochre palette typical of the artist’s coloristic expression. The palette is subdued yet nuanced, while the interplay of warm flesh tones and cooler hues of fabric and shadow creates a harmonious contrast. The figure’s pose, the closed composition, and the presence of personal objects all contribute to the intimate atmosphere of the painting.

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