Ignjat "Ignjo" Job ( sr-Cyrl, Игњат Јоб; 28 March 1895 – 28 April 1936) was an important representative of colour

expressionism Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

in the art scene of Yugoslavia during the 1930s. Job's landscapes of

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...

are reminiscent of the style of

Van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, inclu ...

. He is best known for his series of paintings inspired by life on the island of

Brač Brač is an island in the Adriatic Sea within Croatia, with an area of , making it the largest island in Dalmatia, and the third largest in the Adriatic. It is separated from the mainland by the Brač Channel, which is wide. The island's talle ...

. Job said that “the beneficial influence of the Brač landscape can be felt, the hot sun, blue sea, and green branches of olive trees swayed by the breath of the

maestral The mistral ( ca, Mestral, el, Μαΐστρος, it, Maestrale, mt, Majjistral, Corsican: ''Maestrale'') is a strong, cold, northwesterly wind that blows from southern France into the Gulf of Lion in the northern Mediterranean. It produces ...

”. His paintings depicted the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

landscape, motifs of the town of

Supetar Supetar (, it, San Pietro della Brazza) is a town on the northern side of the Dalmatian island of Brač, in the Split-Dalmatia County, in Croatia. It became the island's official centre in 1827. The Town of Supetar includes Supetar itself and th ...

, fishing themes, and more rarely portraits and nudes.

Life and career

Ignjat Job was born in

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (; see notes on naming), is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, in the southeastern semi-exclave of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterran ...

on 28 March 1895. His family hailed from

Udine Udine ( , ; fur, Udin; la, Utinum) is a city and ''comune'' in north-eastern Italy, in the middle of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic Sea and the Alps (''Alpi Carniche''). Its population was 100,514 in 2012, 176,000 with t ...

, modern-day Italy, but came to identify first as Catholic Serbs and then as

Croats The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, G ...

; Job himself identified as a

Serb The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...

. Job's father died when Job was 5 years old. He attended school in Dubrovnik until 1910. An important influence on his early intellectual and artistic development was his older brother Cvijeto (1892–1915), whose art studies 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 ...

and

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

came to an end when he went off to fight in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

for the

Serbian Army The Serbian Army ( sr-cyr, Копнена војска Србије, Kopnena vojska Srbije, lit=Serbian Land Army) is the land-based and the largest component of the Serbian Armed Forces. History Originally established in 1830 as the Army of Pr ...

As an active supporter for independence from

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

, the young Ignjat Job was arrested in 1912 along with other young nationalists and sentenced to one month in prison. In 1913, when Job was 18, his daughter, Marija, was born. Arrested again in 1914, he spent time in

Šibenik Šibenik () is a historic city in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is a political, educational, transport, industrial and tourist center of Šibenik-Knin County, and is also the ...

prison, then removed to a mental hospital, thanks to good connections, until September 1916. Traumatic experiences from his two-year stay in the mental hospital oppressed Job in the years that followed, and left a mark on his work, most notably on ''Madmen in the Yard'', a drawing thought to have been made between 1916 and 1919. In 1917 Job moved to

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 ...

with his mother and younger brother Nikola, where he enrolled in the Arts and Crafts College (''Viša škola za umjetnost i umjetni obrt''). Job fell in love, and married Viktorija Oršić. After spending the summer in Dubrovnik and on

Lopud Lopud () is a small island off the coast of Dalmatia, southern Croatia. Lopud is economically the most developed of the Elaphiti Islands, and can be reached by boat from Dubrovnik, Trsteno, Orašac and Zaton. The island is famous for its sandy ...

, the couple moved back to Zagreb for the autumn. However, the relationship was not to last, and they divorced in 1920. In that same year, Job's mother died, and due to irregular attendance, he lost his place at college. The family fortune had been used up in enforced war loans, the purchase of the flat in Zagreb, and the education of the children. Job now found himself dependent on the goodwill of friends, and increasingly prone to bouts of depression and ill-health. In December 1920, Job went to Italy, visiting

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

and

Capri Capri ( , ; ; ) is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrento Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. The main town of Capri that is located on the island shares the name. It has been ...

. Travelling back through Dubrovnik and Zagreb, he went on to

, spending time there with local modernist artists - most notably

Petar Dobrović Petar Dobrović ( sr-Cyrl, Петар Добровић; ; 14 January 1890 – 27 January 1942) was a Serbian painter and politician. Biography Dobrović was born in Pécs, Kingdom of Hungary. A proponent of Serbian colorism, he was known for ...

. There also, in 1923, Job met and married his second wife, Živka Cvetković, and their daughter Cvijeta was born in the summer of 1924. In the spring of 1925 Job was diagnosed with

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

, and spent the summer being treated at

Ovčar-Kablar Gorge The Ovčar-Kablar Gorge ( sr-cyr, Овчарско-кабларска клисура, Ovčarsko-kablarska klisura) is a gorge in the western part of central Serbia, in the part of the composite valley of the West Morava river, within the geographi ...

, after which the family moved to the village of Kulina, near

Kruševac Kruševac ( sr-cyr, Крушевац, , tr, Alacahisar or Kruşevca) is a city and the administrative center of the Rasina District in central Serbia. It is located in the valley of West Morava, on Rasina river. According to the 2011 census, t ...

. There he painted his memories of the coast, mostly on small panels. Job converted to

Orthodox Christianity Orthodoxy (from Ancient Greek, Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Late antiquity, A ...

and married his second wife in the

Church of Saint Sava The Temple of Saint Sava ( sr-Cyrl, Храм Светог Саве, Hram Svetog Save, lit='The Temple of Saint Sava') is a Serbian Orthodox church which sits on the Vračar plateau in Belgrade, Serbia. It was planned as the bishopric seat and ...

in Belgrade. Job's son Rastko, named after his godfather the writer

Rastko Petrović Rastko Petrović (1898-1949) was a Serbian poet and writer. After serving in the Serbian Army in World War I, he studied law in Paris and became a diplomat. Based at the Yugoslav embassy in Washington, D.C. during World War II, he remained in t ...

, was born in October 1925. He soon fell ill and died in March of the following year. The death of his infant son left a deep impression on Job's mental and emotional state. In the summer of 1927 the family moved to

Vodice Vodice may refer to: Croatia *Vodice, Croatia, a town and municipality in Šibenik-Knin County *Vodice, Cres, a village on Cres Czech Republic *Vodice (Tábor District), a municipality and village in the South Bohemian Region *Vodice, a village an ...

, near Šibenik, and from 1928 they lived in

on the island of

. There, Job embarked on the most creative time of his artistic career, and his style began to resemble that of

. Job's focus was on recording the impulse of his personal feelings, and strong expressiveness became a feature of his work. The following year, 1929, he held his first solo exhibition in Split, which was well received by public and critics alike. By his next solo exhibition at the Salon Galić in Split, Job's style had developed more toward expressionism. Between 1934 and 1935, Job lived in Belgrade and Zagreb, then returned to Supetar. He died of tuberculosis in a Zagreb clinic on 28 April 1936. Ignjat Job - Landscape (1935)

Style

Ignjat Job's best, most creative and expressive work was produced in a very short period of time. In the early 1920s, his painting still shows the influence of the Spring Salon, with rounded forms in more muted colours. However, inspired by the scenes of his native Dalmatia, and driven by his own personal demons, Job went on to become one of the most expressive painters in the Croatian modern art scene of the 1920s and 30s. In his later works he demonstrated

fauvism Fauvism /ˈfoʊvɪzm̩/ is the style of ''les Fauves'' (French language, French for "the wild beasts"), a group of early 20th-century modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong colour over the Representation (arts), repr ...

techniques and strong, expressive use of colour. Job saw landscape as a symbol, and used colour as an expression of his emotions, his personal experience of life and his reaction to the environment and its native people. His art was grounded in the earthy island lifestyle, and he pursued his own personal vision. As the critic

Igor Zidić Igor Zidić (born 10 February 1939) is a Croatian art historian, art critic, poet and essayist. He is considered a top expert on Croatian modern art. Zidić was born in Split, where he graduated from the Classical Gymnasium. He obtained a diplom ...

says "All of the content in Job's work, from 1928 to his death, are locally and regionally marked, always concrete, borrowed from the real world and the little towns of Dalmatia in which he scrimped and lived, full of ambiental tone and colour, melodies, events and figures... He was a careful observer, with a lot of sense for humour, for the comic and tragicomic, for the mad, the ridiculous, the fantastic and the drunk."

Legacy

Job's works have been included in the anthologies of Croatian, Serbian, and Yugoslav art. Ignjat Job - Stone Table (1935)

Works

Images of Ignjat Job's paintings can be seen online at the Adris Group website, Arte Galerija, Galerija Remek-Djela and Branislav Dešković Gallery in Bol. * Santa Maria, 1921 * Coastal Village (''Primorsko selo''), 1925 * Mountain Landscape (''Planinski pejzaž''), 1927 * Fish Market (''Riblja Piaca''), 1927 * Prayer (''Molitva''), 1927-8 * Self-portrait with Hat (''Autoportret sa šeširom''), 1928-9 * My House in Supetar (''Moj dom u Supetru''), 1929 * Madmen (''Ludaci''), 1929 * Mr. Bepo (''Šjor Bepo''), 1929 * Fields (''Polje''), 1930 * Village (''Selo''), 1930 * Landscape (''Pejzaž''), 1930 * After Harvest (''Poslije berbe''), 1930 * Landscape with the Artist's House (''Pejzaž sa umetnikovim domom''), 1930 * Minčeta with Palm (''Minčeta s palmom''), 1931 * Self-portrait (''Autoportret''), 1931 * Landscape Through Pines and Olives (''Pejzaž kroz bore i maslina''), 1931 * Innocent (''Bezazleni''), 1931 * Female Nude (''Ženski akt''), 1931 * Portrait of Liza Križanić (''Portret Lize Križanić''), 1931 * Landscape with House (''Pejzaž s kućom''), 1932 * Landscape with Church (''Pejzaž s crkvom''), 1932 * Grouper (''Škarpina''), 1932 * House Beneath the Hill (''Kuća pod bregom''), 1932 * Fighting in the Bar (''Tučnjava u gostionici''), 1932 * On the Terrace (''Na terasi''), 1932 * Courtyard (''Dvorište''), 1932 * Return from the Harvest (''Povratak s berbe''), 1932-3 * Gripe, 1933-4 * Vela Glavica I, 1933 * Vela Glavica II, 1933 * Sunday (''Nedelja''), 1933 * Primorski Landscape (Pines) (''Primorski pejzaž (Borovi)''), 1933 * Courtyard with Flowers (''Dvorište sa cvećem''), 1934 * Reclining Nude (''Ležeći akt''), 1934 * Fishermen Before the Storm (''Ribari pred oluju''), 1934 * Landscape (''Pejzaž''), 1935 * Sea and Trees (''More i borovi''), 1935 * Inn (''Krčma''), 1935 * Wine Pressing (''Turnanje vina''), 1935 * Olives I (''Masline I''), 1935 * Stone Table (''Kameni stol''), 1935

Exhibitions

During his lifetime, Ignjat Job held exhibitions of his work in Split, Zagreb and Belgrade.

Solo exhibitions

Recent exhibitions of his work include: *2007 Adris Gallery *1997 Ignjat Job,

Art Pavilion in Zagreb The Art pavillion in Zagreb ( hr, Umjetnički paviljon u Zagrebu) is an art gallery in Zagreb, Croatia. The pavilion is located on the Lenuci Horseshoe, Donji grad(Zagreb), Lower town area of the city, south of Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square, on th ...

*2013,

National Museum of Serbia The National Museum of Serbia ( sr, / ) is the largest and oldest museum in Belgrade, Serbia. It is located in the central zone of Belgrade on a square plot between the Republic Square, formerly Theatre Square, and three streets: Čika Ljubina ...

Group exhibitions

* 2009 100 Godina Srpske Umetnosti, National Museum, Belgrade * 2007 and 2008 From the holdings of the museum - Museum of Modern Art Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik

Public collections

His work can be found in the following public collections: Croatia *

Modern Gallery, Zagreb Modern Gallery ( hr, Moderna galerija; since 2021 the National Museum of Modern Art, ) is a museum in Zagreb, Croatia that holds the most important and comprehensive collection of paintings, sculptures and drawings by 19th and 20th century Croati ...

, Croatia *

Gallery of Fine Arts, Split The Museum of Fine Arts ( hr , Galerija umjetnina), is an art museum in Split, Croatia containing works from the 14th century up to the present day providing an overview of the artistic developments in the local art scene. The museum was founded ...

* Gallery of Fine Arts, Zadar * Galerija umjetnina Branislav Dešković, Bol, island of

, Croatia * Museum of Modern Art Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik Serbia *

Pavle Beljanski Memorial Collection The Pavle Beljanski Memorial Collection ( sr, Спомен-збирка Павла Бељанског, ''Spomen-zbirka Pavla Beljanskog'') is a public art museum in Novi Sad, Serbia. It displays paintings and sculptures by 20th century Serbian an ...

, Novi Sad *

Museum of Contemporary Art Museum of Contemporary Art (often abbreviated to MCA, MoCA or MOCA) may refer to: Africa * Museum of Contemporary Art (Tangier), Morocco, officially le Galerie d'Art Contemporain Mohamed Drissi Asia East Asia * Museum of Contemporary Art Shangha ...

(''Muzej Savremene Umetnosti''), Belgrade * National Museum of Serbia *

Parliament of Serbia The National Assembly ( sr-cyr, Народна скупштина, Narodna skupština, ) is the unicameral legislature of Serbia. The assembly is composed of 250 deputies who are proportionally elected to four-year terms by secret ballot. The as ...

Belgrade City Museum The Belgrade City Museum ( sr-cyr, Музеј Града Београда) is a museum located in Belgrade, Serbia. Founded in 1903, the museum operates with several cultural institutions: Ivo Andrić Museum, Princess Ljubica's Residence, Paja J ...

Gallery

References

Notes Bibliography * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Job, Ignjat 1895 births 1936 deaths Yugoslav painters 20th-century Serbian painters Croatian landscape painters People from Dubrovnik People from the Kingdom of Dalmatia 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery 20th-century Croatian painters Serbian male painters Croatian male painters Tuberculosis deaths in Croatia Serb-Catholic movement in Dubrovnik 20th-century Serbian male artists 20th-century Croatian male artists