Ivan Generalić (December 21, 1914 – November 27, 1992) was a

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

n painter in the naïve tradition.

Biography

Generalić was born in

Hlebine Hlebine is a municipality in Koprivnica-Križevci County in Croatia. It consists of two villages, Hlebine and Gabajeva Greda. Population Its population is earns its living primarily from agricultural production. The population has been decreasin ...

near Koprivnica. In elementary school, painting lessons were his greatest joy and as a child he used to earn money. He mostly drew with pencil on paper bags and some of these sketches were seen by Krsto Hegedušić, at the time (1930) just a student of the art academy, later a professor. Hegedušić was impressed with Generalić's work and organized Generalić's first public art exhibition, held in 1931 in the

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...

Art pavilion. Positive critiques and contacts at the time led to a new era of not only Croatian, but also world art as well. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, in 1945 he became a member of ULUH (society of Croatian artists). In 1953 he exhibited in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 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), ma ...

, where he lived and painted for a few months. In 1959 he painted ''The Deer Wedding'' - his most valuable work, according to followers of the Croatian naïve art world. His home and peasant life of that time was his inspiration. His subjects include weddings, farm work, seasonal celebrations and funeral processions, and his rural scenes often included political commentaries on the social injustices of his time. Due to his technique of using oil paints on the reverse of a glass pane rather than conventional canvas, his pictures have a unique reflective quality.
Outsider Art Sourcebook
', ed. John Maizels, Raw Vision, Watford, 2009, p.77 Generalić has a large number of followers, beside his colleagues who form the first generation -

Franjo Mraz Franjo Mraz (April 4, 1910 in Hlebine – October 26, 1981 in Brežice) was a notable Croatian artist. Together with Ivan Generalić and Mirko Virius Mirko Virius (October 28, 1889 – 1943) was a Croatian naïve painter. He was one of th ...

and Mirko Virius. His second generation followers are Franjo Filipović, Dragan Gaži, Josip Generalić, Ivan Večenaj.

References

External links

www.generalic.com
* http://thearthistoryjournal.blogspot.com/2011/04/ivan-generalic.html

{{DEFAULTSORT:Generalic, Ivan 20th-century Croatian painters Croatian male painters 1914 births 1992 deaths People from Hlebine People from the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia Modern painters Croatian naïve painters Yugoslav painters 20th-century Croatian male artists