Andrija Maurović (; 29 March 1901 – 2 September 1981) was a renowned

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

author, often called the father of

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 and Yugoslav comics. He is mostly known for his ''Stari Mačak'' (Old Mickey, Old Cat) series, published mostly during the 30s, eventually becoming a nickname for the author himself. He was born in

Muo Muo ( sr-Cyrl, Муо) is a village in the municipality of Kotor, Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates ...

near

Kotor Kotor (Montenegrin Cyrillic: Котор, ), historically known as Cattaro (from Italian: ), is a coastal town in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Bay of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,510 and is the administrative c ...

in the

Kingdom of Dalmatia The Kingdom of Dalmatia ( hr, Kraljevina Dalmacija; german: Königreich Dalmatien; it, Regno di Dalmazia) was a crown land of the Austrian Empire (1815–1867) and the Cisleithanian half of Austria-Hungary (1867–1918). It encompassed the entir ...

(today in

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

) to a family of mixed background, eventually enrolling at the Academy of Fine Arts 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 ...

and subsequently pursuing his career as an illustrator and comic book creator for the local publications. Together with other writers and artists, he founded the comics magazine "Mickey Strip" in 1937, where much of his work was serialized. He is known for his realistic, rough style, utilizing black and white contrasts and dynamic flow through the use of perspectives.

Biography

Maurović was born in the village of

Muo Muo ( sr-Cyrl, Муо) is a village in the municipality of Kotor, Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates ...

(part of

) in

Boka Kotorska The Bay of Kotor ( Montenegrin and Serbian: , Italian: ), also known as the Boka, is a winding bay of the Adriatic Sea in southwestern Montenegro and the region of Montenegro concentrated around the bay. It is also the southernmost part of the hi ...

in present-day

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

(at the time in

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 ...

) to a Slovene father (spelled Maurowitch)).Đuro Vidmarović
Hrvatska predsjednica među Hrvatima u Boki kotorskoj
Hrvatsko kulturno vijeće, 7 July 2015.

Miljenko Jergović Miljenko Jergović (born 28 May 1966) is a prominent Bosnian writer. Biography Born in Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia to Croatian parents, Jergović received his M.A. in literature from the Sarajevo University. While at high ...

Andrija Maurović: Rođen u Muo
jergovic.com, 14 September 2013. and a

Croat 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, Ge ...

mother from

(now in Montenegro).Marina Tenžera
''Osim političkog tjednika 7Dnevno sve su novine sramotno izbacile strip!''
''7Dnevno'' 11 September 2015., dnevno.hr, 12 September 2015., Retrieved 4 February 2018. After a short stay in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

, he moved with his family to the city of

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 ...

, near his birthplace, where he attended elementary and secondary school. Following the recommendation of the writer

Ivo Vojnović Ivo Vojnović (9 October 1857 – 30 August 1929) was a writer from Dubrovnik. Biography Vojnović was born in Dubrovnik as the first son of Count Konstantin Vojnović (1832–1903) and Maria de Serragli (1836–1922) on 9 October 1857 in Du ...

, he enrolled at the

Academy of Arts An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, f ...

. Soon he got into conflicts regarding norms and rules because the academy prevented students from working during their studies. At that time he started illustrating books, weekly and daily newspapers, and working for graphic institutions, booksellers and editors, particularly for St. Kugli. As one of the best students, particularly in drawing, he dropped his first academic year. Being extremely busy with the work he liked, he took his

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

troubles lightly. Working on illustrations,

caricature A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, a ...

s, posters and

graphic design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art whose activity consists in projecting visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdiscipli ...

, he became one of the best, and his work appeared in the editions of papers and magazines like '' Jutarnji list'', '' Novosti'', ''Koprive'', ''Ženski svijet'', ''Kulisa''. In 1935, he created his first comic ''Vjerenica Mača'', which was published in the

newspaper Novosti. In the same year Maurović co-launched Oko, the first Yugoslav comics magazine. Maurović collaborated with many eminent Croatian writers and screenplay writers, such as '' Franjo Fuis''. He also drew his illustrations based on literary models of classic world writers and

novelists A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while othe ...

like Alex Tolstoy,

Zane Grey Pearl Zane Grey (January 31, 1872 – October 23, 1939) was an American author and dentist. He is known for his popular adventure novels and stories associated with the Western genre in literature and the arts; he idealized the American frontie ...

, August Šenoa,

Jack London John Griffith Chaney (January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to ...

B. Traven B. Traven (; Bruno Traven in some accounts) was the pen name of a novelist, presumed to be German, whose real name, nationality, date and place of birth and details of biography are all subject to dispute. One certainty about Traven's life is ...

Max Brand Frederick Schiller Faust (May 29, 1892 – May 12, 1944) was an American writer known primarily for his Western stories using the pseudonym Max Brand. He (as Max Brand) also created the popular fictional character of young medical intern D ...

, and

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells"Wells, H. G."
Revised 18 May 2015. ''

socialist realism Socialist realism is a style of idealized realistic art that was developed in the Soviet Union and was the official style in that country between 1932 and 1988, as well as in other socialist countries after World War II. Socialist realism is ch ...

production at a time when poster propaganda was much more important than today. He was a painter of seascapes and apocalyptic scenes,

caricaturist A caricaturist is an artist who specializes in drawing caricatures. List of caricaturists * Abed Abdi (born 1942) * Al Hirschfeld (1903–2003) * Alex Gard (1900–1948) * Alexander Saroukhan (1898–1977) * Alfred Grévin (1827–1892) * Alf ...

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...

preacher A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach components such as a ...

and comic strip sketcher. At a time when there was no

pornography Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,

in any medium, Maurović published a series of drawings alluding to extramarital and marital relations. He lived a life of his own creation and created a great number of impressive comic strip heroes and personalities (like ''Dan'', ''Old Tom-cat'', ''Radoslav''). His works are part of the Sudac Collection. Being in all the world

encyclopaedia An encyclopedia (American English) or encyclopædia (British English) is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either general or special to a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles ...

s and publications on comics, he has earned his eminent place in the art of world comics. Numerous editions and reprints of his best works, numerous awards and prizes he has received, the reputation that he achieved is comparable with the achievements and fame of the greatest names and creators of cartoons in the world. In the 1960s, a redesigned version of the

Dubrovnik chess set The Dubrovnik chess set is a style of chess pieces influenced by the Staunton chess set and used to play the game of chess. These chessmen are considered to have significant historical importance and are regarded as a timeless design classic. ...

by Andrija Maurović was created and produced in the workshop of master craftsman Jakopović in

. The most obvious changes in the redesign can be observed in the knights with simplified carving and the queens had only five cuts in the crown as opposed to the original eleven.

Bobby Fischer Robert James Fischer (March 9, 1943January 17, 2008) was an American chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he won his first of a record eight US Championships at the age of 14. In 1964, he won with an 11� ...

was often filmed and photographed with his own 1970

that was later stolen. Towards the end of his life he "gave up working on mainstream comics and turned to an ascetic lifestyle that excluded the luxuries of running water and electricity, painting huge oil paintings with apocalyptic motifs and

hardcore porn Hardcore pornography, or hardcore porn, is pornography that features detailed depictions of sexual organs or sexual acts such as vaginal, anal or oral intercourse, fingering, anilingus, ejaculation, and fetish play. The term is in contras ...

comics for his own pleasure". For Maurović,

candaulism Candaulism, or candaulesism, is a paraphilic sexual practice or fantasy in which one person exposes their partner, or images of their partner, to other people for their voyeuristic pleasure. Candaulism is also associated with voyeurism and exhib ...

was said to be "not an individual excess but an obsession that preoccupies all his pornographic comics. Only the men to which the husband exposes his wife differ- but it is desirable that they should be as ugly, wild, dirty, proscribed, and socially unacceptable as possible, to make the transgression even greater and the humiliation even more powerful. In order to emphasize all the more the power of the sexual instinct that drives the actors and crushes prohibition." Andrija Maurović died in

, and was buried in the

Mirogoj Cemetery The Mirogoj City Cemetery (, hr, Gradsko groblje Mirogoj), also known as Mirogoj Cemetery ( hr, Groblje Mirogoj), is a cemetery park that is considered to be among the more noteworthy landmarks in the city of Zagreb. The cemetery inters members o ...

. Although it may not be possible to fully reconstruct Maurović's political beliefs, his basic attitude is considered identical with that of his comics heroes, and this is the victory of justice and freedom.

''Stari Mačak''

Maurović began his best known series centered around the eponymous character Stari Mačak (Old Tom-cat) in 1937. The series together with its characters were created in collaboration with journalist Franjo Fuis, who detested adaptations, opting instead for an original series. The character "Stari Mačak" was first introduced in ''Gospodar Zlatnih Bregova'' (Master of the Golden Hills, January, 1937) as an elderly wanderer who lost his memories after a tragic accident. The work was first serialized in magazine "Novosti", and subsequently in comics magazine "Mickey Strip" under the name ''Crni Jahač'' (Dark Rider, 1938). He is not a typical

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

hero, as Maurović sought inspiration from his daily acquaintances, basing Stari Mačak on a construction worker he frequently met at a pub in Ilica street. This was quickly followed by ''Sablast Zelenih Močvara'' (Spook of The Green Swamps), where Stari Mačak was joined by wandering poet ''Polagana Smrt'' (Slow Death), along with his parrot Penelope and his horse Tulip. ''Posljednja pustolovina Starog Mačka'' (Old cat's last adventure), was published in volumes from November 1 until December 27 of 1937.

Legacy

Comic book historians

Zdravko Zupan Zdravko Zupan ( sr-cyr, Здравко Зупан; 7 February 1950 – 9 October 2015) was a Yugoslav comic book creator and historian. He is best known for comics such as " Tom & Jerry", "Zuzuko", "Munja", " Mickey Mouse", " Goofy" and "Ellswor ...

and Slavko Draginčić lauded Maurović for his masterful ability to develop visual dynamics, with particular emphasis on black and white contrasting. Art historian Vera Horvat Pintarić wrote about his

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the World War I, First World War to the beginning of the World War II, Second World War. The in ...

comic book work: Timothy O. Benson described him as a superb master of the art of cartoon, stating that "intensified interest in mass communications have resulted in reconsideration of his entire oeuvre". Maurović ignored global trends of comics in the 30s, creating his own distinct style and utilizing a great variety of themes for his opus. This involved both the use of

monochromatic A monochrome or monochromatic image, object or color scheme, palette is composed of one color (or lightness, values of one color). Images using only Tint, shade and tone, shades of grey are called grayscale (typically digital) or Black and wh ...

sfumato Sfumato (, ) is a painting technique for softening the transition between colours, mimicking an area beyond what the human eye is focusing on, or the out-of-focus plane. It is one of the canonical painting modes of the Renaissance. Leonardo da V ...

and playing with perspectives and scenes. It is for these reasons he is generally considered to be the father of comic books and illustration on the territories of the former Yugoslavia, and its most popular author.

Goran Sudžuka Goran Sudžuka (born 1969, Zagreb, Croatia) is a Croatian comic book artist, known for his work on books such as '' Y: The Last Man'', '' Hellblazer: Lady Constantine'' and '' Ghosted''. Early life Goran Sudžuka was born in 1969 in Zagreb, Croa ...

cited him as his main influence, praising him as "A truly unique figure in the whole comic industry, not just in Croatia.". The comic strip club in

bears his name.

Bibliography

Starting with his first comic strip ''Bride of the Sword'' in 1935, in a relatively short time (1935–1940) he drew a great number of comics, including: * ''Empress of the Netherworld'' * ''Mistress from Mars'' (after Alex Tolstoy) * ''Three Men in the Dark'' (after

) * ''The Seventh Victim'' (after

) * ''The Black Rider'' planB.hr - Crni Jahač
* ''Plague's Ship'' * ''Master of the Golden Hills'' * ''Ghost of the Green Swamps'' * ''With Fire and Sword'' (after

Henryk Sienkiewicz Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz ( , ; 5 May 1846 – 15 November 1916), also known by the pseudonym Litwos (), was a Polish writer, novelist, journalist and Nobel Prize laureate. He is best remembered for his historical novels, especi ...

) * ''Goldsmith's Gold'' (''Zlatarevo zlato''), based on literary work of August Šenoa * ''The Gold'' (after

) * ''Gunka Das'' (after

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...

) Their dramaturgy and morphology show a visible influence of the first

westerns The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

. At the time of the

Second World War 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 opposin ...

his drawings included: * ''The Tomb in the Rainforest'' * ''The Great Migration of the Croats'' * ''Prince Radoslav'' * ''Ahura Mazda on the Nile'' (after

Georg Ebers Georg Moritz Ebers (Berlin, 1 March 1837 – Tutzing, Bavaria, 7 August 1898) was a German Egyptologist and novelist. He is best known for his purchase of the Ebers Papyrus, one of the oldest Egyptian medical documents in the world. Life Geo ...

) * ''Golden Island'' (after

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...

) * ''

Tomislav Tomislav (, ) is a masculine given name of Slavic origin, that is widespread amongst the South Slavs. The meaning of the name ''Tomislav'' is thought to have derived from the Old Slavonic verb "'' tomiti''" or "'' tomit" meaning to "''languish ...

'' and after the war followed: * ''The Mexican'' (after

) * ''The Siege'' * ''The Lone Star Rider'' (after

) * ''Riders of The Purple Sage'' (after

) * ''Uglomi, the Master of the Cave'' (after

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells"Wells, H. G."
Revised 18 May 2015. ''

Grič'' (after

Marija Jurić Zagorka Marija Jurić (; 2 March 1873 – 30 November 1957), known by her pen name Zagorka (), was a Croatian journalist, writer and women's rights activist. She was the first female journalist in Croatia and is among the most read Croatian writers. Ea ...

) * ''Beware the Hand from Senj'', ( Čuvaj se senjske ruke), based on literary work of August Šenoa

References

External links

Andrija Maurović - in English

DUBROVNIK 1950 - maple & walnut - chess pieces
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maurovic, Andrija 1901 births 1981 deaths People from Kotor People from the Kingdom of Dalmatia Croatian comics artists Croatian illustrators 20th-century Croatian people Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery Croats of Montenegro