Sava Sekulić ( sr-Cyrl, Сава Секулић; 17February 190226January 1989) was a

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

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 ...

and

Outsider art Outsider art is Fine art, art made by Autodidacticism, self-taught individuals who are untrained and untutored in the traditional arts with typically little or no contact with the Convention (norm), conventions of the art worlds. The term ''ou ...

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

Biography

He was born in Bilišani in

Dalmatinska Zagora The Dalmatian Hinterland () is the southern inland hinterland in the historical Croatian region of Dalmatia. The name means 'beyond (the) hills', which is a reference to the fact that it is the part of Dalmatia that is not coastal and the existe ...

near Obrovac, as a

Serb The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history, and language. They primarily live in Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia ...

in the

Kingdom of Dalmatia The Kingdom of Dalmatia (; ; ) was a crown land of the Austrian Empire (1815–1867) and the Cisleithanian half of Austria-Hungary (1867–1918). It encompassed the entirety of the region of Dalmatia, with its capital at Zadar. History The Habs ...

, in 1902. His mother remarried when his father died when he was 10 years old. Sekulić was raised by his uncle and his aunt. He never attended any schools. His father taught him to read and write. Also, Sekulić used to quote his father's last words: ''Learn by yourself, draw and write with a stone in your hand''. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he was harmed and lost one eye when he was 15 years old. He started writing poems when he was 22 and painting in 1932, but he did not dedicate himself to painting exclusively. In 1943, during the

World War II 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 ...

he began to work as a

builder Builder may refer to: Construction * Construction worker, who specializes in building work * Carpenter, a skilled craftsman who works with wood * General contractor, that specializes in building work ** Subcontractor * Real estate developer, who ...

. Parallel to writing poems, after his retirement in 1962, Sekulić began to do

painting Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

in order to define his

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

more precisely. His unusual associativity and ability for the materialization of his intellectual energy as a complete

self-taught Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) or self-education (also self-learning, self-study and self-teaching) is the practice of education without the guidance of schoolmasters (i.e., teachers, professors, institutions). Overview Autodi ...

was intuitively and instinctively released. He died in Belgrade, Serbia, in 1989.Н. Крстић, Наивна уметност Србије
SANUMNMA
Jagodina, 2003; p. 100

Artistic style

Sekulić is a painter of the universal, the timeless, and the limitless. For him, everything is generalized, from the individual he aspires to the universal, and is very successful. Therefore, his works are the highest achievements of L'art brut, not only in the country but worldwide.

Allegories As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory throughou ...

and

metaphors A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide, or obscure, clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are usually meant to cr ...

are present in nearly all his works. With his visions, he reduced a unique pictorial definition, minimized the subject matter to a metaphor. Most numerous are his compositions with

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...

figures Figure may refer to: General *A shape, drawing, depiction, or geometric configuration *Figure (wood), wood appearance *Figure (music), distinguished from musical motif * Noise figure, in telecommunication * Dance figure, an elementary dance patte ...

portraits A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face is always predominant. In arts, a portrait may be represented as half body and even full body. If the subject in full body better re ...

and scenes with historical and

beings Existence is the state of having being or reality in contrast to nonexistence and nonbeing. Existence is often contrasted with essence: the essence of an entity is its essential features or qualities, which can be understood even if one does ...

. While painting historical personalities, he portrayed the victims as

hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...

es, and the members of his family as

mythological Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

beings. However, the most complex is the figure of a woman. In many works there are

philosophical Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

stories and moralizing lessons. Figures are simplified, flat and highly stylised. In the background of every painting is an original story derived from numerous popular

legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the ...

s and beliefs –

pagan Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

historical History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from about 1945 to the present. In the social sciences, contemporary history is also continuous with, and related t ...

. The

myths Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

with the pronounced respect for animals – primordial parents and beliefs on summing up people and animals are presented in his paintings by duplication and compaction of human and animal figure (fish, bird, horse, cow, snake, octopus, deer, bull, he-goat...), multiplication of heads and limbs. The artist prefigured the symbiosis of anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figures, where all the

alchemy Alchemy (from the Arabic word , ) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practised in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. In its Western form, alchemy is first ...

of his pictorial expression is clearly visible. It is paradoxical that the artist's very style counteracts the narrative aspect of the painting and concentrates totally on the pictorial value with the strength on an unconscious neo-primitive. His palette is restricted. He often paints surfaces with different applications of transparent colours, one over the other, without waiting for the earlier layer to dry, which leads to mixing and assimilation of colours. One colour is often predominant in each painting, which sometimes creates a

monochrome A monochrome or monochromatic image, object or palette is composed of one color (or values of one color). Images using only shades of grey are called grayscale (typically digital) or black-and-white (typically analog). In physics, mon ...

impression. He sometimes only partly paints the background of certain paintings, thus leaving whole surfaces unpainted. This additionally eliminated any

illusion An illusion is a distortion of the senses, which can reveal how the mind normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. Although illusions distort the human perception of reality, they are generally shared by most people. Illusions may ...

of spatial depth. Sekulić's paintings are pervaded with a number of inventive characteristics, the symbiosis of the real and the surreal, with the character of almost pure automatism. The superiority of the artist's senses overgrows the perception of a beholder. An ordinary observer is not capable of noticing and understanding the sensitive structure of purely

pictorial An image or picture is a visual representation. An image can be two-dimensional, such as a drawing, painting, or photograph, or three-dimensional, such as a carving or sculpture. Images may be displayed through other media, including a project ...

phenomena A phenomenon ( phenomena), sometimes spelled phaenomenon, is an observable Event (philosophy), event. The term came into its modern Philosophy, philosophical usage through Immanuel Kant, who contrasted it with the noumenon, which ''cannot'' be ...

; his paintings are firstly accepted as a kind of visual intrigue and are later intellectually experienced. Finally, Sava Sekulić is one of the greatest Serbian outsider and

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 ...

painters and a world classic also.N. Krstić, Outsider Art in Serbia, monograph, MNMA, Јагодина, 2014, pp. 108-113

Exhibitions and awards

He participated in independent and group shows in the country (

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

Aranđelovac Aranđelovac ( sr-cyr, Аранђеловац, ) is a town and a municipality located in the Šumadija District of central Serbia. , the municipality has a population of 41,297 inhabitants, while the town has 22,881 inhabitants. It is situated ben ...

Jagodina Jagodina ( sr-cyrl, Јагодина, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Pomoravlje District in central Serbia. It is situated on the banks of the Belica (river), Belica River, in the geographical region of � ...

, Niš, Novi Sad) as well as abroad in significant international exhibitions in:

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

, etc. He received many prominent international awards. For his works he was awarded posthumously at the ''Fifth World Triennial of Naïve and Marginal Art IN SITA'' in

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

, 2000, etc.). His most significant works are preserved in the collections o
Museum of Naïve and Marginal Art - MNMA

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

and in the

Zander Collection The zander (''Sander lucioperca''), sander or pikeperch, is a species of ray-finned fish from the family Percidae, which also includes perch, ruffe and darter. It is found in freshwater and brackish habitats in western Eurasia. It is a popular g ...

, Germany. Recent exhibitions *2019 Belgrade, Gallery RTS
''Intuition at the Margins''
(24 October – 20 November) *2018 Belgrade, Cvijeta Zuzorić Art Pavilion

(18 – 30 October) Belgrade, House of King Peter I

(27 March - 10 April*) *2017 Paris, Halle Saint Pierre

(7 September 2017 – 31 July) *2016 Belgrade, Heritage House

(20 October - 12 November) *2015 Bönnigheim,

CCC – Sava Sekulić Self-Taught
(1 November - 21 February 2016) Belgrade, Gallery of Central Military Club

(29 May - 15 July) Prague, Gallery of Luka Praha Museum

(9 April – 30 April)

Gallery

Sekulić Sava, Jelengrad.jpg, ''Deer-City'', 1948

Jagodina Sekulić Sava, Kad svak uzme svoje.jpg, ''When everyone takes their own'', 1965

Jagodina Sekulić Sava, Jabučilo i Momčilo.jpg, ''Jabučilo and Momčilo'', 1974

Jagodina Sekulić Sava, Priroda hoda preko nebeskog svoda.jpg, ''Nature Walks over the Sky'', 1974

Jagodina Sekulić Sava, Klica života.jpg, ''The Germ of Life'', 1974

Jagodina Sekulić Sava, Stari Sloven.jpg, ''Ancient Slav'', 1975

Jagodina

References

Literature

* Bošković M., Maširević M. (Eds.) (1977, p. 74, 78) ''Naïfs artist in Serbia''. Eskenaziarte: Torino. * Bose, Günter Karl, Zander, Charlotte (Ed.) (1993), ''Sava Sekulić'', Berlin: Brinkmann & Bose. * Krstić N. (Ed.) (2003, p. 100) ''Naïve art in Serbia''
SASA
Belgrade
MNMA
Jagodina. * Krstić N. (Ed.) (2007) '' Naïve and Marginal art in Serbia''. MNMA: Jagodina. * Krstić N. (Ed.) (2013) ''Outsiders''. Catalogue. MNMA, Jagodina. * Krstić N. (Ed.) (2014, pp. 120–129) ''Outsider art in Serbia''. MNMA: Jagodina. * Zander, Susanne (Ed.) (2023). ''26 Artists. Works from the Zander Collection''. Cologne: Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther und Franz König. p. 229.

External links

Sekulić Sava - Marginal Art in Serbia

* ttps://sammlung-zander.de/en/sava-sekulic-2/ Sava Sekulić - Zander Collection {{DEFAULTSORT:Sekulic, Sava Outsider artists Naïve painters Yugoslav painters 20th-century Serbian painters 1902 births 1989 deaths Serbian male painters 20th-century Serbian male artists