Vladimir Becić
Beach in Nice, 1912.
Watercolour on paper
331 × 484 mm
MG-7103

Vladimir Becić (Slavonski Brod, 1886–Zagreb, 1954) was one of the leading representatives of Croatian Modernism and a member of the renowned Munich Circle, alongside Miroslav Kraljević, Josip Račić, and Oskar Herman. He began his artistic education in Zagreb under Menci Clement Crnčić and Bela Čikoš Sesija before continuing his studies in Munich and at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris. During the First World War, he worked as a war artist and correspondent for the Parisian magazine L'Illustration. From 1924 onwards, he taught at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, where he influenced generations of younger artists and helped shape the course of Croatian Modernism. His oeuvre is characterised by landscapes, scenes of everyday life, and portraits, painted in the spirit of Colourist Realism and the modern artistic language.
“Beach in Nice” depicts a Mediterranean coastal landscape in which the composition is dominated by fishing boats drawn up on the shore, while simple buildings and lush vegetation in the background create a tranquil and harmonious seaside setting. Executed in watercolour, the composition is distinguished by transparent washes of colour and fluid brushstrokes through which the artist faithfully conveys the atmosphere of a sunlit coastal landscape. Restrained shades of green, grey, and ochre dominate the palette, while light and shadow model the volumes of the boats and the surrounding architecture. The balanced composition and spontaneous handling of the medium reflect Becić's interest in the direct observation of nature and everyday life, one of the defining characteristics of his artistic oeuvre.

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