Dragiša Stanisavljević was born in

Jabučje Jabučje ( sr, Јабучје) is a village in Valjevo municipality Lajkovac city district in the Šumadija District of central Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked co ...

, near

Lajkovac Lajkovac ( sr-cyr, Лајковац) is a town and municipality located in the Kolubara District of western Serbia. As of 2011, it has population of 3,249 inhabitants, while the municipality has 15,475 inhabitants. It is located in the valley of ...

, (May 25, 1921 – August 21, 2012) is an internationally known

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

naïve Naivety (also spelled naïvety), naiveness, or naïveté is the state of being naive. It refers to an apparent or actual lack of experience and sophistication, often describing a neglect of pragmatism in favor of moral idealism. A ''naïve'' may b ...

and

outsider Outsider(s) may refer to: Film * ''Outsider'' (1997 film), a 1997 Slovene-language film * ''Outsider'' (2012 film), a Malayalam-language Indian film * ''Outsiders'' (1980 film), a South Korean film featuring Won Mi-kyung Literature * Outside ...

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

Biography

Dragiša Stanisavljević was born in

, near

, on May 25, 1921. He began doing sculpture in 1958. The life in the village under

patriarchal Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of Dominance hierarchy, dominance and Social privilege, privilege are primarily held by men. It is used, both as a technical Anthropology, anthropological term for families or clans controll ...

principles, century-old forests of his homeland certainly encouraged his impulse for freedom and modelling. He is an absolute

self-taught Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) or self-education (also self-learning and self-teaching) is education without the guidance of masters (such as teachers and professors) or institutions (such as schools). Generally, autodidacts are individua ...

, with strong sense for the stylization of form. A farmer by trade, Stanisavljević began to do

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin th ...

in 1958. Stanisavljević died in his native

(

), on August 21, 2012. He is a world classic.N. Krstić, ''Outsider Art in Serbia''
MNMA
Јагодина, 2014, pp. 132-139

Artistic Style and Work

Frontal aspect,

simplicity Simplicity is the state or quality of being simple. Something easy to understand or explain seems simple, in contrast to something complicated. Alternatively, as Herbert A. Simon suggests, something is simple or complex depending on the way we ch ...

of expression and archaic approach to form are unconsciously achieved. From black, age-old tree-trunks the artist liberated the form, polished it to brightness, imprisoned it and emphasized its organic essence, thus completing what the nature had begun. Everything is stylized nearly to the bare, basic primordial form, and reduced with the pronounced sense for measure, which was known only to authentic artists of

primitive cultures ''Primitive Culture'' is an 1871 book by Edward Burnett Tylor. In his book, Tylor debates the relationship between "primitive" societies, and "civilized" societies, a key theme in 19th century anthropological literature. Evolutionism Tylor's w ...

. More than five-decade-long

instinctive Instinct is the inherent inclination of a living organism towards a particular complex behaviour, containing both innate (inborn) and learned elements. The simplest example of an instinctive behaviour is a fixed action pattern (FAP), in which a v ...

and

creative work A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, and composition. Legal definitions Creative works require a cre ...

of this artist points to the force of his authentic and original forms and the connection between primordial and

modern Modern may refer to: History * Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Phil ...

sensibility Sensibility refers to an acute perception of or responsiveness toward something, such as the emotions of another. This concept emerged in eighteenth-century Britain, and was closely associated with studies of sense perception as the means thro ...

artistic expression Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of what ...

. Age-old

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

trunks which he tooled from the bed of the

Kolubara River The Kolubara ( sr-cyr, Колубара, ) is a long river in western Serbia; it is an eastern, right tributary to the Sava river. General overview Kolubara is formed by the two small rivers Obnica and Jablanica. ''Obnica'' is the river in W ...

had a secret trace in its very substance, a kind of

patina Patina ( or ) is a thin layer that variously forms on the surface of copper, brass, bronze and similar metals and metal alloys (tarnish produced by oxidation or other chemical processes) or certain stones and wooden furniture (sheen produced b ...

. With a pronounced sense of

harmony In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...

, without

gestures A gesture is a form of non-verbal communication or non-vocal communication in which visible bodily actions communicate particular messages, either in place of, or in conjunction with, speech. Gestures include movement of the hands, face, or ot ...

, expressive movements, but with interest in the spiritual background of his figures, Dragiša unconsciously understood the role of form in the achievement of the universal.

Relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

-like

concept Concepts are defined as abstract ideas. They are understood to be the fundamental building blocks of the concept behind principles, thoughts and beliefs. They play an important role in all aspects of cognition. As such, concepts are studied by s ...

of form with pronounced vertical

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include v ...

helped the artist with the simplicity of expression, especially when the selected motif was

philosophical Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

contemplation on

human relationships The concept of interpersonal relationship involves social associations, connections, or affiliations between two or more people. Interpersonal relationships vary in their degree of intimacy or self-disclosure, but also in their duration, in t ...

, destinies, hidden characteristics, sins or prayers. His works reflect the

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

and

legend A legend is a Folklore genre, genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human valu ...

s of his native land.

Exhibitions and awards

Significant sculptures of Dragisa Stanisavljević are part of the

collections Collection or Collections may refer to: * Cash collection, the function of an accounts receivable department * Collection (church), money donated by the congregation during a church service * Collection agency, agency to collect cash * Collection ...

of th
Museum of Naïve and Marginal Art
Jagodina. From 1964, he had independent and group exhibitions in the country and abroad and he participated in nearly all international shows of

art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

and utsider art(''World Triennials'' in

Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...

from the sixties, thematic exhibitions in Martighi,

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

etc.). He received many

awards An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An award ...

and recognition for his monumental

sculptures Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

, among which the ''Award for Entire Artistic Work'' at th
Tenth Biennial of Naïve and Marginal Art
in

Jagodina ) , image_shield = Jagodina-grb.png , image_flag = FLAG Jagodina.png , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_map = File:Municipalities of Serbia Jagodina.png , map_caption = Location of Jagodina w ...

, 2011 was the most significant.Н.Крстић, ''Outsiders'', catalogue
MNMA
Јагодина, 2013

Gallery

Stanisavljević Dragiša, Crni panter.jpg, ''Black Panther'', 1975,
wood, 150x50cm
MNMA
Jagodina Stanisavljević Dragiša, Saradnja.jpg, ''Cooperation'', 1979,
wood, height 110 cm
MNMA
Jagodina Stanisavljević Dragiša, Zmija i riba.jpg, ''Snake and Fish'',
wood, height 105 cm
MNMA
Jagodina

References

Literature

* М. Бошковић; М. Маширевић, ''Самоуки ликовни уметници у Србији'', Торино,1977 *

Oto Bihalji-Merin Oto Bihalji-Merin ( sr-cyr, Ото Бихаљи Мерин; 3 January 1904 – 22 December 1993) was an acclaimed Yugoslav and Serbian writer, art historian, painter and art critic. Biography Bihalji-Merin was born to a Jewish family in Zemun, ...

; Небојша Бато Томашевић, ''Енциклопедија наивне уметности света'', Београд, 1984 * Марица Врачевић, ''Драгиша Станисављевић'', catalogue
MNMA
Јагодина, 2002 * Н. Крстић, ''Наивна уметност Србије''
SANUMNMA
Jagodina, 2003 * Н.Крстић, ''Наивна и маргинална уметност Србије''
MNMA
Јагодина, 2007 * Н.Крстић, ''Histoire de Voire'', Dragiša Stanisavljević, catalogue
MNMA
Paris, 2012 * Н.Крстић, ''Outsiders'', catalogue
MNMA
Јагодина, 2013 * N. Krstić, ''Outsider Art in Serbia''
MNMA
Јагодина, 2014, pp. 132–139

External links

Dragiša Stanisavljević, Marginal Art in Serbia, Jagodina, Serbia

Dragiša Stanisavljević, Museum of Naïve and Marginal Art, Jagodina, Serbia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanisavljevic, Dragisa Outsider artists Naïve art Serbian sculptors 1921 births 2012 deaths