Ivan Večenaj was born on May 18 into a poor large family in the village of Gola. After graduating with honors from elementary school, Ivan was forced to quit studies in order to engage in agriculture. The future artist from childhood was fond of drawing and devoted all his free time to it.
1920 - 2013
Ivan Večenaj
description
A Croatian naive artist, belonging to the second generation of primitive artists of the Hlebinska school. Ivan Večenaj was one of the followers of Ivan Generalic, who developed and augmented the art tradition of Hlebine. Apart from painting, the artist was interested in oral folk art, and tried his hand at writing. He collected old proverbs, riddles and legends, and also published a digest of folk songs and compiled the Gole dictionary, which contained more than 12 000 ancient words. Of all the artists of the Hlebinska school, Večenaj was the closest to the creative work of the people, and his paintings, filled with fantasy and sincere faith, were included into the World Encyclopedia of Naive Art. The ethnographic museum, which Večenaj organized in his estate, is of great importance for the preservation of folk culture.
The key ideas of the artist’s work:
– Ivan Večenaj is rightfully considered the best colorist among the famous naive artists of Croatia. His works, made in the recognizable Hlebine oil on glass technique convey the subtle color nuances of the evening sky, the variety of summer greens and flowers, and the glance of the plumage of birds.
– The artist often uses extraordinary color and shade combinations. In his paintings, you can see fiery clouds, purple grass, green cows and gray roosters, making his canvases original and memorable.
– The main themes of the artist, as well as of his colleagues, were restful village life, work on the field, rites and traditions, taking their roots in deep old world. Večenaj pays much attention to nature, with which he had always been inseparably connected. He especially liked to draw a rooster, magnificent and dangerous, personifying the powerful force of the elements.
– Among the creative heritage of the artist, there are also portraits. Večenaj depicts his fellow villagers, relatives and his self-portraits, full of good-natured humor and revealing the psychological characteristics of a person.
– Among all the naive artists of the Hlebinska school, the work of Ivan Večenaj is distinguished by the greatest pithiness and depth. His paintings, often filled with secret symbols, create a sense of mystery and mysticism.
– Many of the artist’s paintings are devoted to religious subjects, not typical of Croatian primitive artists. The most famous is the painting “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”, (1978), which was included in the publication The Bible of the Art of the Twentieth Century.
1920
1934
1953
1960
1970
1980
1999
1913
The birth of the artist
Began taking the first steps in painting
Mastered the loom and began to weave; this contributed to the development of his artistic abilities. During this period, the young man began taking the first steps in painting, redrawing the paintings of other folk artists who were popular at his locality.
Večenaj met K. Hegedušić and I. Generalić
After a forced break in his career, connected with the Second World War, he resumed painting classes; the following year, he took part in the peasantry exhibition in Koprivnica. This event turned out to be decisive for the subsequent creative fate of the artist, since his works were noticed and appreciated by his colleagues, critics and the public. There, in Koprivnica, Večenaj met K. Hegedušić, I. Generalić and other representatives of the Hlebinska school of naïve art. Soon the artist joined Hlebine primitive artists and became a regular participant in joint exhibitions.
Participated in numerous group exhibitions of naive artists
Participated in numerous group exhibitions of naive artists not only in Croatia and the former Yugoslavia, but throughout Europe. Personal exhibitions of the artist were held in Koprivnica, Varaždin, Zagreb, as well as in the Italian city of Biella. During these years, the author’s style became more individual. He worked on his own color palette and added Bible plots to his art. The works of the artist became more complex technically and carried a greater semantic load.
Exhibited his work in Milan and Turin
Exhibited his work in Milan and Turin. He and his wife visited the United States at the invitation of his comrade, famous American actor Yul Brynner. In 1878, he created his famous painting “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”, which was included in the digest “The Bible of the Art of the Twentieth Century”.
Took part in exhibitions in Geneva, Munich, Zagreb
Took part in exhibitions in Geneva, Munich, Zagreb. The artist became incredibly popular both in his motherland and abroad, received several state awards. His paintings still showed scenes from the life of the village and biblical scenes, many of which were stretched and stylized. In the work of Večenaj, many colorful still lifes with flowers appeared.
Became a member of the Writers' Union of Croatia
Became a member of the Writers’ Union of Croatia. During his life, the artist created a few books and digests: “Secrets of Pepelare Castle”, “Wild Girl’s Cry”, “My Homeland” (history of the village of Gola), Prekodravje sings like that” (collection of songs), “Big Bird”, “Old Proverbs and riddles” and “Dictionary of old words from the village of Gola” with the subtitle “Middle-dravje dialect”, in which more than 12 thousand old words are preserved from oblivion.
Ivan Večenaj died
On February 13, Ivan Večenaj died in the Koprivnica district hospital, having lived to a very old age. The artist left not only wonderful paintings and books, but also an ethnographic museum, which he created in his own estate in his native village.