Zuzana Chalupová ( sr, Зузана Халупова, Zuzana Halupova; 5 February 1925 – 1 August 2001) was a Serbian
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 ...
painter of
Slovak ethnicity, who was born and lived her whole life in the town of
Kovačica
Kovačica ( sr-cyrl, Ковачица, ; sk, Kovačica; hu, Antalfalva; ro, Covăcița) is a town and municipality located in the South Banat District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. According to the 2011 census, the town has ...
, Serbia. Her colourful naive-style paintings recall children's works and fairy-tale illustrations. She typically painted children, so she was called "Mama Zuzana with a thousand children".
Her creative legacy consists of more than 1,000 paintings.
Biography
Chalupová finished only five grades of elementary school.
[Gallery of Naive Art, Kovačica]
In the 1950s she began making scarves, shirts, and tapestries with traditional motifs. After earning some money from selling tapestries, she bought
oil paint
Oil paint is a type of slow-drying paint that consists of particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed oil. The viscosity of the paint may be modified by the addition of a solvent such as turpentine or white spirit, and ...
and started painting on canvas. She painted her first oil on canvas painting named ''Mlaćenje konoplja'' (''Hemp Beating'') in 1964.
[ She enjoyed imminent success. She exhibited her paintings in the Museum of Naive Arts in Svetozarevo and in ]Kovačica
Kovačica ( sr-cyrl, Ковачица, ; sk, Kovačica; hu, Antalfalva; ro, Covăcița) is a town and municipality located in the South Banat District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. According to the 2011 census, the town has ...
during the "Kovačički oktobar" festival.[ Her first solo exhibition was in 1968]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 Mediterranea ...
where all of the paintings were bought by foreign collectors.[
Though she never had children of her own,][Subotica.com]
„Naivna umetnost - Kovačica“ ili „Kako život ’udešava’ svoje priče“
the most frequent motif in Chalupová's paintings were children. Even adults (some with moustaches) look like children in her paintings.biblical
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of ...
themes.[
Chalupová made many paintings for charity purposes. She painted a monumental painting for the ]International Committee of the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC; french: Comité international de la Croix-Rouge) is a humanitarian organization which is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and it is also a three-time Nobel Prize Laureate. State parties (signato ...
depicting children with the members of the Red Cross.Gračanica monastery Gračanica () may refer to:
Places
Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Gračanica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, a town and municipality in Tuzla
*Gračanica (Bugojno), a village in Central Bosnia
* Gračanica, Gacko, a village in Republika Srpska
* Gračanica, P ...
, statue of Pobednik, Serbian Orthodox
The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous ( ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian churches.
The majority of the population ...
priests with children in Slovak traditional costumes and God watching all this from the skies. In 1974, Chalupová made a painting for the UNICEF
UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to c ...
headquarters named ''Children of the UN'', full of symbols: It depicts the Earth, UNICEF headquarters, and the Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; French: ''La Liberté éclairant le monde'') is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City, in the United States. The copper statue, ...
surrounded by children and angels with olive branch
The olive branch is a symbol of peace and victory associated with customs of ancient Greece and connected with supplication to gods and persons in power. It is found in most cultures of the Mediterranean basin and became associated with peace ...
es.[
Many of her paintings are on permanent display in Kovačica's Gallery of Naive Art.][ For her achievements, ]Matica slovenská
Matica Slovenská (en. Slovak Matica) is a Slovak national, cultural and scientific organization headquartered in Martin, Slovakia. It was founded in 1863 and revived in 1919. The organisation has facilities in the Slovak Republic as well a ...
decorated Chalupová with the order of Cyril and Methodius.Easel
An easel is an upright support used for displaying and/or fixing something resting upon it, at an angle of about 20° to the vertical. In particular, easels are traditionally used by painters to support a painting while they work on it, normally ...
of Zuzana Chalupová
Zuzana Halupova 05.jpg, Painting by Zuzana Chalupová on Postage Stamp
References
External links
*Slovak Art of Vojvodina
Zuzana Chalupova (1925-2001)
*Babka Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chalupova, Zuzana
1925 births
2001 deaths
20th-century Serbian people
Serbian people of Slovak descent
20th-century Serbian painters
Serbian women artists
Serbian women painters
20th-century women artists
People from Kovačica