Tomislav Čeranić, Star City (fig. XV), 2005

Tomislav Čeranić
Star City (fig. XV), 2005
pencil on paper
100 x 70 cm
MG-8618

Tomislav Čeranić (1961) is an art historian and renowned artist who employs one of the basic techniques, the graphite pencil, to create fantastic and hybrid worlds, achievable only through artistic manipulation of reality.
The drawing Star City (fig. XV) illustrates one such hybrid form that broadens the concept of architecture, introducing new connotations that were previously absent. The artist draws on the tradition of classical architectural sketches to create a structure that exists solely in the realm of fiction. By eliminating the potential for real-world construction, the artist has freed the design from the typical logical and technical limitations of such drawings, focusing primarily on its artistic value. He accomplished this by breaking down existing architectural forms from various traditions into modular components, so that pediments, domes, columns, and arches interlink to create an impossible structure. It is essential that each element’s logic is meticulously considered, resulting in a drawing that radiates order and harmony, even though it cannot be realised in reality. Through this approach, Čeranić highlights the disparity between the internal logic of the elements and the overall structure they create, underscoring the role he attributes to art.

Text: Filip Kučeković, intern curator at the National Museum of Modern Art © National Museum of Modern Art
Translated by: Robertina Tomić
Photo: Goran Vranić © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb

Skip to content