Original scientific paper
Erotic drawings and prints by Milivoj Uzelac (1917-1920)
Frano Dulibić
; Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu
Abstract
Milivoj Uzelac (1897-1977) was born in Mostar and, since his father was in the imperial service, in 1903 the family moved to Banja Luka where he received first painting lessons from Prof. Pero Popović. In 1912 the Uzelac family moved to Zagreb where Milivoj Uzelac enrolled in Tomislav Krizman's private school and in 1913 in Temporary Arts and Crafts High School from which he was expelled after less than a year because of inappropriate behaviour. At the end of 1915, to escape the military service, he came to Prague where he studied painting with Jan Preisler until 1918 and returned to Zagreb in 1919. In his artistic idiom the expressionist style was in 1920 replaced by a cubism-influenced construction of shape and space. In Zagreb he exhibited at the Spring Salon until 1923 when he left for Paris. In addition to easel painting where he often panted nudes and portraits, he managed to get assignments as illustrator of bibliophile editions in spite of competition, and he also produced graphic portfolios, designed theatrical sets and painted wall decorations. He moved to Cotignac, in the south of France, in 1963 and died there in 1977.
This paper examines three groups of Uzelac's erotic and obscene drawings and prints made in Prague and Zagreb between 1917 and 1920. The first group, titled Circus Eros, has been recently discovered in Prague, while the drawings from Vilim Svećnjak's collection and the portfolio Greek Springs have never been properly analysed. The recently discovered prints and drawings have been attributed to Uzelac by means of comparative analysis and on the basis of preserved data. The circumstances in which they were made and their characteristics were studied to reveal similarities with the work of European masters of the erotic and obscene. Uzelac's youthful lascivious drawings were also his first collaboration on a literary project; later, in France, he made a number of illustrations for literary works. The early erotic and obscene drawings are linked to Uzelac's painterly output such as his Self-portrait in the Bar, and are neccessary for a full insight into his painting. In Croatian history of art there are no erotic or obscene art works before the 20th century with an emancipated approach to the subject (at least, the public is not aware of them); Uzelac is therefore among the first in Croatia to handle explicitly erotic and lascivious motifs, and almost certainly the author of first obscene caricatures. His knowledge of erotic art from earlier periods (in particular the 19th century) helped Uzelac to develop an exceptionally broad range of motifs, while his free imagination rooted in the spirit of the times and his draughtsmanship helped him to retain an individual handwriting so that each drawing reflects his temperament. Uzelac's talent for drawing was very important for him: not only did it help him earn his living in Prague and Zagreb but also for the most part in France where he was often commissioned to illustrate books and bibliophile editions (from Ovid to French writers such as Verville, Gaultier, Balzac, De Sade, La Fontaine); many illustrations are erotic in character.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
166682
URI
Publication date:
15.12.2001.
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