Tag: Portrait of Dr. Rafael Dolinšek

Milan Butozan, Portret dr. Rafaela Dolinšeka, prije 1936.

Milan Butozan
(1905 – 1943)
Portrait of Dr. Rafael Dolinšek, before 1936
oil on canvas
100.5 x 77.5 cm
MG-2475
Milan Butozan studied at the Zagreb Academy, where he was both a student and collaborator of the prominent painter Jozo Kljaković. He made a notable impact on the Zagreb art scene through his controversial actions, striving to secure his position until his untimely tragic death. Throughout his short artistic career, Butozan experimented in search of his own distinctive style. In his early work, he painted Head of a Woman around 1926, influenced by Cézannism, and a decade later, created the colouristic Female Nude.
One of his most representative works is undoubtedly the portrait of Dr. Rafael Dolinšek, a distinguished gynaecologist and collector from Zagreb. Painted in the later stages of the artist’s career, the portrait shows the subject seated in a relaxed posture, in half-profile, in a green armchair. The warm, neutral interior serves as the backdrop, reflecting both the subject’s stature and tranquillity, while also demonstrating the artist’s exceptional skill in colour and composition. Dr. Dolinšek is dressed in a grey suit with a white collar and a red-and-black tie. His face is characterised by a soft smile, round glasses, and well-proportioned features. Butozan masterfully balanced tonal and colour transitions, effectively capturing the subject’s personality.
Text: Tatijana Gareljić, museum consultant 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

Antun Augustinčić, Portrait of Dr. Rafael Dolinšek, 1929

Antun Augustinčić
(1900 - 1979)
Portrait of Dr. Rafael Dolinšek, 1929
casting, bronze
45 x 18 x 24 cm
MG-2499

Augustinčić began studying sculpture at the College of Arts and Crafts in Zagreb in 1918 under Rudolf Valdec and Robert Frangeš. In 1922, the institution was renamed the Royal Academy of Arts and Crafts, and he continued his education under Ivan Meštrović. After graduating in 1924, he went to Paris as a French government scholarship recipient, studying at the École des Arts Décoratifs and the Académie des Beaux-Arts under J. A. Injalbert. He exhibited at the Salon of French Artists in 1925 and at the Salon des Indépendants in 1926. He was a co-founder of the socially conscious art group Zemlja (1929–1935) and became a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb in 1946.
He participated in numerous international public competitions and earned a reputation as a master of public monuments. His concept of realism blends elements of Meštrović’s monumentalism with Kršinić’s lyrical approach. His renowned portraits place him among the foremost exponents of Croatian psychological portrait sculpture.
The portrait of Dr. Rafael Dolinšek is sculpted as a shallow bust, with the head subtly turned to the right and part of the neck resting directly on the stone base. The full, oval volume features a high forehead, thin compressed lips, and hair slicked back towards the nape. Realistically rendered facial features are synthesised into a refined expression, representing Dr. Dolinšek, a distinguished physician and major art collector, whose collection of works by his contemporaries can be found at the NMMA.

Text: Tatijana Gareljić, museum consultant 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