Anka Krizmanić
At the Concert,1948.
oil on canvas
51,5 x 60,5 cm
MG-1209
Anka Krizmanić (1896–1987) attended the private painting school of Tomislav Krizman from 1910 to 1913 and, from 1913 to 1917, the Kunstgewerbeschule in Dresden. From 1920 to 1930, she lived in Paris. Her oeuvre ranges from drawings, prints, pastels, and oils on canvas to graffiti, tapestries, fashion drawings, and sketches for puppet theater. In her portraits, she achieves a penetrating psychological characterization. Her work experienced a kind of revaluation with a large retrospective exhibition in the Art Pavilion in 1986 when it was learned that the once successful painter had been living alone for decades, forgotten by the world and the profession. The exhibition helped erase the bitter taste of long-term neglect, and Krizmanić, primarily a painter of intimacy, left an oeuvre of over 6,000 paintings in various media.
"At the Concert" introduces the viewer to an unusual perspective from the bottom angle and captures a personal impression of the cultural event. The characters are shown looking towards the stage, but their focus is not only on the performance but also on mutual relationships and interactions. In the foreground are two young girls leaning on the fence of the theater box, almost as if they are enraptured by the music or the event they are watching. Their faces are softly modeled, with soft smiles and closed eyes, suggesting a moment of relaxation and emotional connection. This closeness between the girls is almost tactile, with the artist creating an intimate atmosphere. At the same time, she is focused on depicting the two young girls, almost like the men approaching them from behind.
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