The Earth Group ( hr, Grupa Zemlja) was a Croatian arts collective active in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

, Croatia from 1929 to 1935, when it was banned. The group aimed to defend their artistic independence against foreign influences such as Impressionism or

Neoclassicism Neoclassicism (also spelled Neo-classicism) was a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassicism was ...

and '' art for art's sake''. They maintained that art should mirror the social milieu from which it springs and should meet contemporary needs, hence their emphasis on the popularization of art, both at home and abroad. In spite of its ideologically heterogeneous membership, the group was considered

Marxist Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...

in orientation but never espoused socialist realism.

Members and guests

*Founding members of the group: sculptors Antun Augustinčić and Frano Kršinić; painters

Vinko Grdan Vinko is a masculine name related to Vincent, and may refer to: Given name *Frane Vinko Golem (1938–2007), Croatian diplomat and politician *Vinko Begović (born 1948), Croatian football coach *Vinko Bogataj (born 1950), former ski jumper from ...

Krsto Hegedušić Krsto Hegedušić (26 November 1901 – 7 April 1975) was a Croatian painter, illustrator and theater designer. His most famous paintings depict the harsh life of the Croatian peasantry in the manner of naive art. He was one of the founders of ...

Leo Junek Leo (Leopold) Junek (25 September 1899 – 13 July 1993) was a Croatian–French painter. He was a founding member of the Group Zemlja (Earth Group), one of the most influential movements in the history of Croatian art. He studied at the Zagreb ...

, Omer Mujadžić,

Oton Postružnik Oton Postružnik (1900–1978) was a Croatian artist, painter, graphic artist, and ceramist. He was one of the founding members of the Earth Group artist collective in Zagreb from 1929 to 1933. He studied in Zagreb, Prague and Paris, and was a pr ...

, Kamilo Ružička and

Ivan Tabaković Ivan Tabaković (10 December 1898, Arad – 27 June 1977, Belgrade) was an Austro-Hungarian-born Serbian painter. Biography Tabaković was born in Arad, then part of the Habsburg Empire, in 1898, to a Serbian family. He studied at the Bud ...

; and the architect

Drago Ibler Drago Ibler (14 August 1894 – 12 September 1964) was a Croatian architect and pedagogue. His style can be described as pure simplicity and functional architecture. Ibler was born in Zagreb. He gained his diploma in architecture at the Te ...

(who also served as the group's chairman). *Members who later joined the group: Marijan Detoni, Ivan Generalić, Željko Hegedušić, Fedor Vaić, Vilim Svečnjak,

Edo Kovačević Edo Kovačević (16 November 1906 – 15 March 1993) was a Croatian artist, best known for his colourful landscapes and views of suburban Zagreb. He worked mainly in oils and pastels, using subtle colour harmonies and lively brush strokes to bring ...

, Branka Hegedušić-Frangeš, Ernest Tomašević,

Lavoslav Horvat Lavoslav Horvat (; Varaždinske Toplice, 27 September 1901 – Novi Marof, 4 October 1989) was a Croatian architect. In 1926, Horvat enrolled as one of the first students of architecture at the Department of Architecture of the Academy of Fine Art ...

Stjepan Planić Stjepan Planić (27 December 1900 – 26 December 1980) was a Croatian architect. His style can be described as a synthesis of functionalist and organic architecture. Biography From 1920 to 1922 he worked for the architect Rudolf Lubinsky and, ...

and Mladen Kauzlarić. *Guest artists whose works were shown at some of the group's exhibitions: Otti Berger, Petar Franjić, Drago Galić, Stjepan Gomboš, Aleksander Mikloš, Franjo Mraz, Josip Pičman, Danilo Raušević,

Petar Smajić Petar Smajić (1910–1985) was a Croatian painter and sculptor. His works can be found at the Croatian Museum of Naïve Art in Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, a ...

, and Zdenko Strižić.

Exhibitions

* 1st exhibition (as ''Udruženje umjetnika Zemlja'') at ''Salon Ulrich'' in Zagreb, 1929 * 2nd exhibition (as ''L'Association artistique "Zemlja"'') at ''Gelerie Billiet'' in Paris, 1931 * 3rd exhibition (as ''Udruženje umjetnika Zemlja'') at '' Umjetnički paviljon'' in Zagreb, 1932 * 4th exhibition (as ''Udruženje umjetnika Zemlja'') at ''Umjetnički paviljon'' in Zagreb, 1934 * 5th exhibition (as ''Družestvo Zemlja - Zagreb'') at ''Galerija Preslav'' in Sofia, 1934 * 6th exhibition (as ''Udruženje umjetnika Zemlja'') at ''Umjetnički paviljon Cvijete Zuzorić'' in

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

, 1935

References

*{{cite book , last=Angeli Radovani , first=Kosta , title=6. zagrebački salon : kritička retrospektiva "zemlja" : slikarstvo, grafika, crtež, kiparstvo, arhitektura : Umjetnički paviljon, Zagreb, 8. svibnja-8. lipnja 1971., publisher= Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts Modern Gallery , date=1971 , oclc=500719470 , language=hr Croatian art 1930s in Croatia 20th century in Zagreb Croatian artist groups and collectives