Category: Discover

Sava Šumanović, Three Female Semi-Nudes, 1921

Sava Šumanović
Three Female Semi-Nudes, 1921
oil on canvas
162.9 x 146.6 cm
MG-1274

Sava Šumanović (1896 – 1942) started exhibiting at the Croatian Spring Salon as a Higher School of Arts and Crafts student in Zagreb. He exhibited independently; as early as 1918 and 1920, he did illustrations for the avant-garde magazine "Juriš" and scenography for the Croatian National Theatre. After his first successes in Zagreb, he went to Paris, where he studied at André Lhote. Returning to Zagreb, Šumanović was disappointed by the extent of the misunderstanding, so he signed the pictures in French transcription as a sign of protest. Although Šumanović's crucial exhibition in the style of classicizing academic cubism in Zagreb in 1921 was met with positive reviews, in 1925, Šumanović went to Paris again. Suffering from mental illness, in 1930, he finally retreated to his parents in Šid. He worked devotedly until his execution in the Second World War in 1942.
Šumanović was the first to attend the Lhote Academy. Upon his return to Zagreb, he exhibited works from Paris, introducing a new art language to the local art scene. Despite the audience's misunderstanding due to his departure from traditional expressionism, he persisted in his cubist endeavors, but critics enthusiastically greeted the work. The framework of the composition "Three Female Half-nudes" is formed by the dramatic, broken forms of massive female bodies. In the picture, the women are shown in different poses with accentuated contrasts of light and shadow that further emphasize the voluminousness of their bodies. The colors are intense, with predominant shades of red and brown creating a dramatic atmosphere. Closed within the picture's frame, the figures do not communicate directly with the observer but leave the impression of introspective isolation.

Text: Marta Radman, curator of the National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb
Translated by: Marta Radman
Photo: Goran Vranić© National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb

Željko Badurina, Seve – Red, 2002

Željko Badurina
Seve – Red, 2002
inkjet print on canvas
100 x 100 cm
MG-6844

In his work, Željko Badurina (1966) often problematizes contemporary visual culture and social life phenomena, such as mass media, consumer society, and kitsch manifestations at different social levels. His work is characterized by humor, irony, absurdity, and Luddism, as well as reinterpretation, simulation, montage procedures, and the frequent use of ready-made and pop art. In the pop artist series of portraits, he uses enlarged photos of famous people, which are conceptually based on the works of Andy Warhol. The images are enlarged to a format of 100 x 100 cm, whereby each person gets their characteristic color. The artist thus humorously translates Warhol's process of duplicating the same motif into a domestic situation, reflecting the socio-cultural context in which we live.
"Seve - Red" is a portrait of Severina, one of the most famous singers in Croatia. The work is made with inkjet printed on canvas, using bright colors and high contrast to emphasize the iconographic status of the subject. Alluding to Warhol's portraits of Marilyn Monroe, it shows her against a red background with signature red lipstick and green eyeshadow. By presenting Severina as a pop-culture icon, it indicates the transience and superficiality of such fame, therefore this portrait should be viewed as a comment on the phenomenon of celebrity culture and its influence on society.
At the same time, and in today's context, the portrayal of Severina as a celebrity figure who actively participates in social changes opens up questions about the role and responsibility of public figures in society. Known for her support of social and political issues, including women's rights and the LGBTIQA+ community, Severina uses her popularity to draw attention to critical social problems.

Text: Marta Radman, curator of the National Museum of Modern Art © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb
Translated by: Marta Radman
Photo: Goran Vranić © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb

Ksenija Kantoci, Chimney (Moirae), 1980. – 1984.

Ksenija Kantoci
Chimney (Moirae), 1980. - 1984.
wood
18 x 17 x 13.5 cm
MG-5950

Ksenija Kantoci (1909 – 1995), one of the most prominent Croatian sculptors of the 20th century, her work "Chimney (Moirae)" is an abstract sculpture of smaller dimensions, made of wood, as an archetypal monolithic figure. The work exemplifies the author's intention to reduce mass and form and compress volume to express existential and psychological themes, a characteristic that has become recognizable within her oeuvre. "Chimney (Moirae)" is an example of this because, through the simplicity of the form, they suggest complex stories about fate, the passage of time, and human existence.
Moirae (Suđenice) are mythological beings in Slavic mythology who are in charge of people's destinies. They are often depicted as figures who determine destinies by weaving the thread of life, which puts them in a position outside the human world but with a direct influence on it. Kantoci explores this liminal position through this sculpture. The subjects are simultaneously part of the world and outside it; they belong to the past and mythology but are always present through their function and symbolism.
At the same time, Kantoci uses wood as a material that carries with it the impression of warmth, naturalness, and connection with nature, as well as hardness, durability, and resistance.The sculpture exudes monumentality despite its small dimensions through its simple stylization and almost archaic form. This work reflects the artist's tendency to create solid and fluid figures rooted in the material but with symbolic power transcending physical presence.

Text: Marta Radman, curator of 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

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