Sava Šumanović
In the Studio (Self-Portrait), 1920-21
charcoal on paper
MG-4370
The period during which this drawing was created represents one of the most successful stages of Šumanović’s career. Born in Vinkovci in 1896, he completed his secondary education in Šid and graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb in 1918. In 1920, he held his second solo exhibition at the Museum of Arts and Crafts, which was well-received by both the public and critics. Collectors acquired nearly two-thirds of his works, allowing Šumanović to finally make his way to Paris. Upon arriving in his dream city that same year, he initially finds it difficult to adjust. However, he soon finds his place at André Lhote’s school, marking the beginning of what art historian Dimitrije Bašičević describes as his “constructivist phase,” referring to Antun Branko Šimić, who once said that Šumanović’s painting “does not adhere to forms of nature, but rather forms from geometry.” While the figure of the painter is depicted from behind, following the conventions of realistic drawing, the studio space, fireplace, and easel are portrayed, influenced by Lhote’s post-cubist school, in a geometric style, that is, using shapes that do not relate to one another through realistic illusion, but through the rules set by art itself. Upon returning from Paris, Šumanović organised his third solo exhibition in Zagreb in 1921. However, his post-cubist style did not appeal to the general public, though critics gave positive reviews of the new works. This disappointment had a profound impact on Šumanović, and, as Bašičević notes, it marks the symbolic beginning of his tragic path, culminating in his death in 1942 in a Ustaše-run prison in Sremska Mitrovica.
Text: Klaudio Štefančić, senior 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