Ivan Zasche
Portrait of Julijana Koritić de Mrazovečka, 1853
watercolour on paper
41.5 x 31 cm
MG-66
Ivan Zasche (Jablonec, Czech Republic, 1825 – Zagreb, 1863) was among the first and most prominent academically trained painters. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, where he trained under Professors Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller (Vienna, 1793 – Hinterbrühl, 1865) and Thomas Ender (Vienna, 1793 – 1875), who also influenced his artistic style. His professional career began in the early 1850s when he moved to Zagreb at the invitation of Archbishop Juraj Haulik (Trnava, Slovakia, 1788 – Zagreb, 1869). For Haulik, he created a lithographic album titled “Park Jurjaves,” the first recorded series of vedutas from the region, executed in the tradition of the Vienna academic school. Zasche remained active in Zagreb until his death, gaining prominence for his portraits, watercolours, and miniatures. He also created altarpieces, landscapes, and scenes from rural life.
One of the most important pieces in Zasche’s body of work is the “Portrait of Julijana Koritić de Mrazovečka,” which embodies the typical style of the 19th century and the Vienna painting tradition. The portrait shows a middle-aged woman seated in an opulent pink chair. She wears an elegant black dress with lace details, her hair neatly arranged and adorned with a dark ribbon. The refined golden jewellery on her hands, a black necklace with a pendant, and her graceful posture and serene expression all reflect her high social standing. The softly shaded background enhances the woman’s figure, and the realistic approach to her face shows a clear influence of the Vienna Biedermeier style. This portrait is also one of the earliest works from Zasche’s Zagreb period.
Text: Luciana Fuks, trainee curator at 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