Edo Kovačević (16 November 1906 – 15 March 1993) was a Croatian artist, best known for his colourful landscapes and views of suburban

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, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

. He worked mainly in oils and pastels, using subtle colour harmonies and lively brush strokes to bring out the natural beauty of ordinary subjects. Kovačević also designed theatrical stage sets for the Croatian National Theatre, the Drama Theatre and the Puppet Theatre, for many years, taught art at the Zagreb School of Crafts, and organized art exhibitions and installations. Kovačević was part of the influential

Earth Group The Earth Group () was a Croatian arts collective active in Zagreb, 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 and ''art for ...

in the 1930s, and later exhibited with the Croatian Group of Artists. Edo Kovačević was a member of the

Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts The Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (; , HAZU) is the national academy of Croatia. HAZU was founded under the patronage of the Croatian bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer under the name Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts (, JAZU) since its ...

, and received the

Vladimir Nazor Award The Vladimir Nazor Award () is a Croatian prize for arts and culture established in 1959, and awarded every year by the country's Ministry of Culture. Named after the writer Vladimir Nazor (1876–1949), the prize is awarded to Croatian artists ...

for lifetime achievement in the arts in 1981.

Biography

Edo Kovačević was born 16 November 1906 in

Gospić Gospić () is a town in Lika, Croatia. It is the seat of the Lika-Senj County. Geography Gospić is located in the mountainous and sparsely populated region of Lika. It is the administrative center of Lika-Senj County. Gospić is located n ...

, then in

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

, now in

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

In 1909, the family moved to Zagreb. In 1926, Kovačević enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts, Zagreb, graduating in 1930 in the class of

Vladimir Becić Vladimir Becić (1886–1954) was a Croatian painter, best known for his early work in Munich, which had a strong influence on the direction of modern art in Croatia. Becić studied painting in Munich at the prestigious Academy of Arts along wit ...

. In 1928, a two-week stay in Paris with a group of fellow students opened up new horizons for him, including an encounter with

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 ...

and Leo Junek, also in Paris at the time. Back in

, he kept in contact with these founders of the

(''Grupa Zemlja''), whose ideological views were bringing current social problems and the grim reality of rural life into contemporary art. Immediately following his graduation, Kovačević received a grant from the state government (

Sava Banovina The Sava Banovina or Sava Banate ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Savska Banovina, Савска бановина), was a province ( banovina) of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1929 and 1939. It was named after the Sava River and consisted of much of the present- ...

) and spent a year (1930/31) in Paris studying fresco painting. During this year, Kovačević did not get involved in painterly or bohemian circles, but joined the international left-wing group around

Le Monde (; ) is a mass media in France, French daily afternoon list of newspapers in France, newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average print circulation, circulation of 480,000 copies per issue in 2022, including ...

, which held meetings and lectures about modern art. His visits to the studio of

Amédée Ozenfant Amédée Ozenfant (15 April 1886 – 4 May 1966) was a French cubist painter and writer. Together with Charles-Edouard Jeanneret (later known as Le Corbusier) he founded the Purist movement. Education Ozenfant was born into a bourgeois ...

, the founder of

Purism Purism, referring to the arts, was a movement that took place between 1918 and 1925 that influenced French painting and architecture. Purism was led by Amédée Ozenfant and Charles Edouard Jeanneret (Le Corbusier). Ozenfant and Le Corbusier f ...

, made a strong impression on him, along with the works of

Giotto Giotto di Bondone (; – January 8, 1337), known mononymously as Giotto, was an List of Italian painters, Italian painter and architect from Florence during the Late Middle Ages. He worked during the International Gothic, Gothic and Italian Ren ...

Fra Angelico Fra Angelico, O.P. (; ; born Guido di Pietro; 18 February 1455) was a Dominican friar and Italian Renaissance painter of the Early Renaissance, described by Giorgio Vasari in his ''Lives of the Artists'' as having "a rare and perfect talent" ...

and

Velasquez Velázquez, also Velazquez, Velásquez or Velasquez (, ), is a surname from Spain. It is a patronymic name, meaning "son of Velasco". References to "Velazquez" without a first name are often to the Spanish painter, Diego Velázquez. Notable peo ...

. On his return to Zagreb, Kovačević joined the Earth Group in 1932, exhibiting with them at their 4th Exhibition at the Art Pavilion in Zagreb. He was a member of the group until 1935. From 1934 to 1940, he taught art at the Craft School in Zagreb. Kovačević created his first set designs in 1934 for the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb. For nearly 60 years, he designed theatrical sets for the National Theatre, and the Drama Theatre in Zagreb, the

Dubrovnik Summer Festival The Dubrovnik Summer Festival (; ) is an annually-held summer festival instituted in 1950 in Dubrovnik, Croatia. It is held every year between 10 July and 25 August. On more than 70 open-air venues of Renaissance-Baroque city of Dubrovnik a rich ...

, the Zagreb Puppet Theatre, and his work appeared in

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

and

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

. During that time, he also organized over a hundred exhibitions of paintings. Between 1936 and 1940 Kovačević exhibited with the Group of Croatian Artists. His work on exhibition set-up gave him opportunities to travel around Europe, especially Paris, and to the United States (1939). After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Kovačević travelled extensively around Europe, to Geneva, Zurich and Venice, and Paris several times (1954, 1956 and 1958). Kovačević's first solo exhibition was held in 1955 at the French Institute in Zagreb. In 1964, the Gallery of Contemporary Art, Zagreb held a retrospective exhibit of his work, and in 1978, the

Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb The Museum of Contemporary Art (, often abbreviated to MSU) is a contemporary art art museum, museum located on Dubrovnik Avenue in Zagreb, Croatia. It is the biggest and most modern museum in the country. Vesna Meštrić is current director of MS ...

held a new retrospective exhibit. In 1977, Edo Kovačević was elected a member of the

, and in 1981, he received the

for lifetime achievement in the arts. Edo Kovačević died in Zagreb on 15 March 1993.

Legacy

Edo Kovačević participated in the art movements that defined modern Croatian painting. His paintings displayed an exceptional feeling for design, clarity of form and colour harmonies. His work was well received by the general public and, he had many positive reviews from art critics. Kovačević was recognized by his professor

as one of his most talented students. Early on, he developed his own distinctive style, influenced by the social ideologies of the Zemlja group, and the reaction against depicting volume in the form. However, in contrast to the wider scenes of rural hardship produced by other members of the group, Kovačević conveyed his message using the small details that told of a very basic way of life. His painting "Cornbread" (1930) condenses the hardship of the farm labourer's life into a small tableau - on a rough-hewn peasant table sits a piece of cornbread, a bowl of cheese and a folding knife. In the same way, Kovačević embarked on a series of life in the suburbs for the ordinary people. They stand as a document of the growth of the city, and the movement of people from the countryside. During his time with Zemlja, his paintings show the typical flat and rather geometrical style of the rest of the group. However, his use of colour harmonies, and the feeling of empathy with his subject are all his own. Kovačević uses warm, muted colour tones and simplified shapes to portray the living spaces, courtyards, roofs, streets and factories, without showing us the faces of the people that live there and work. By 1934, his painting "Kožarska ulica", shows a refined colour palette, and a move away from the folk art stylization. In the mid-1930s, Kovačević produced a series of drawings and gouaches of rural life around the village of Žabno. He began to paint with more expressiveness, using colour to reinterpret nature, and using more dynamic brush-strokes to animate the painted surface. Over the next few years, he began to narrow down his range of colours, and to simplify and order the design. Wartime brought increasingly muted paintings, spare designs of still lifes and portraits in monochromatic tones. The anxieties of war showed in the dramatic painting "Začretje Castle" (1941) with its moody colour palette and ordered composition. That style continued into the post-war period, as life under the new socialist realism took hold. By the late 1940s, Kovačević began to experiment with more specific colouring to convey the mood of his subjects. His "Self-Portrait" of 1948 was a personal vision in which he reduced the design to its essentials and established a muted colour palette in predominantly soft blues. This colouring was to become characteristic of his later work. At around the same time, he began to spend time on the Adriatic coast, working on landscapes with more open spaces and warm, bright colours. These paintings showed more vibrancy, with richer colour schemes and geometrical structures, building volumes with broad planes. Through the 1950s, Kovačević continued to develop his characteristic muted colour palette. His visits to Paris resulted in a series of drawings, pastels and oils that convey his personal impressions of the city. In tones of blue and brown, his beautifully designed compositions are perfectly balanced, and have been described by

Grgo Gamulin Grgo Gamulin (21 August 1910 – 2 October 1997) was a Yugoslav art historian, literary critic, writer born in Jelsa on the island of Hvar. Gamulin graduated from the University of Zagreb in 1935 and lectured there in 1947–1971. He is a co-fo ...

as masterpieces of Croatian art. During the 1960s, Kovačević experimented with printing and lithography, in which he came close to abstraction in his simplified designs. He began to use more symbolism in his work, especially in floral compositions. And this was the time of his "Zagreb Roofs" cycle, in which Kovačević created rich, dynamic patterns based on the network of old roofs as seen from the upper town of the city. One of the high points of the series is the tapestry "Roofs", created in 1969, into which all his earlier ideas were woven using a rich, harmonious blend of colours. The roofs series stands as one of his most important works, dedicated to the city where he spent almost his entire life. Edo Kovačević's later work was inspired by the landscapes of the Zagreb foothills and

Hrvatsko zagorje Hrvatsko Zagorje (; Croatian Zagorje; ''zagorje'' is Croatian language, Croatian for 'backland' or 'behind the hills') is a cultural region in northern Croatia, traditionally separated from the country's capital Zagreb by the Medvednica mount ...

, capturing nature in all its different weather and seasons. The woods of Zelengaj, close by his house, feature in many of his most lyrical pieces. Using oils or more expressively, pastels, he modified his colour palette subtly to interpret the atmospheric conditions from warm summer sunshine, soft spring rains or dense winter fog. During this time, too, he painted flowers - wild woodland flowers and summer meadow flowers in simple glasses, vases and pots. As Kovačević himself said, "to paint flowers means to paint human joy, human nature, its unspoiled childish dream, its wonder at the world, its humanity. Aren't all these motifs that are worthy of painting?«. The subject allowed him full rein to use his compositions skills and rich colour chords. Edo Kovačević was an artist that preferred to paint the less obvious views, and from uncommon angles. The backs and sides of buildings rather than the front. A glimpse into a humble courtyard, or a view across rooftops. He took simple subjects and used them to tell of the human condition, and he took joy in the beauty of nature. He was, above all a master colourist, and he created form and emotion in colour.

Works

Paintings

List of paintings is taken from the Exhibition Catalogue for the 2006/2007 Retrospective unless otherwise indicated. * Cornbread, 1930 * Barutanski jarak (''Barutan ditch''), 1932 * Paper Factory, 1932 * Vineyards / Bukovački Breg, 1932 * Radnički dol * Kožarska Ulica (''Kožarska Street''), 1934 * Začretje Castle, 1941 * Black Bottle, 1942 * Portrait of Mira, 1942 * Self-portrait, 1948 * Rovinj, 1948 * Yellow Houses in Bol, 1955 * Louvre, 1958 * Winter, 1964/65 * Signs (1966) * Zagrebački krovovi (''Zagreb roofs''), 1964 * (Old Roofs – Duga ulica, 1962; Roofs – Mesnička ulica, 1966; Morning – Tkalčićeva ulica, 1963, and others). * Zelengaj in Winter, 1970 * Snowman, 1970 * Rainy Spring, 1971 * Medvednica, 1972 * Zimska Radost (Winter happiness), 1973 * Mikulići - Springtide, 1975 * Šestine in Fog, 1975 * Klanječki vinogradi (''Klanječki vineyards''), 1981

Tapestry

* Roofs, 1969

Theatrical set designs

* Čudnovate zgode šegrta Hlapića (Marvellous Adventures of Hlapić the Apprentice), 1934 * Hofmanove priče (Tales of Hoffmann), 1934

Exhibitions

Recent solo exhibitions of Edo Kovačević's work include

Solo exhibitions

* 2006-2007 Edo Kovačević Retrospective,

Art Pavilion, Zagreb The Art pavilion in Zagreb () is an art gallery in Zagreb, Croatia. The pavilion is located on the Lenuci Horseshoe, Lower town area of the city, south of Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square, on the northern side of the King Tomislav Square which flan ...

* 2003 Edo Kovačević - Dalmatian landscapes (graphics),

* 1997-8 Hommage Edo Kovačević 1906-1993 : Museum Gallery Klovićevi dvori, Zagreb * 1993 Edo Kovačević - Landscapes Of Zagorje, Art Pavilion, Zagreb * 1987 Edo Kovačević: Old Roofs of Zagreb, City Museum of Zagreb * 1978 Edo Kovačić Retrospective, Art Pavilion, Zagreb * 1964 Edo Kovačić Retrospective,

Group exhibitions

Recent group exhibitions that have included works by Edo Kovačević * 2010 Intimism in Croatian Fine Art 1930-1950,

Modern Gallery, Zagreb Modern Gallery (; 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 Croatian artists. The colle ...

Public collections

Edo Kovačević's work can be found in the following public collections *

* Croatian Museum of Naive Art, Zagreb * City Museum of Zagreb * Gallery of Fine Arts, Osijek

References

Bibliography

* ''Edo Kovačević, 1906-1993'' Author: Miroslav Begović. Publisher:

, Zagreb. 1997. Series: Spomenica preminulim akademicima, sv. 76. * ''Hommage Edo Kovačević 1906-1993'' Author: Josip Depolo. Publisher: Muzejsko-galerijski centar, Klovićevi dvori, Zagreb. 1997. Exhibition Catalog {{DEFAULTSORT:Kovacevic, Edo 1906 births 1993 deaths Members of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts Vladimir Nazor Award winners Croatian designers Artists from Zagreb People from Gospić University of Zagreb alumni 20th-century Croatian painters Croatian male painters 20th-century Croatian male artists