Miroslav Kraljević (14 December 1885 – 16 April 1913) was 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 ...

ian painter, printmaker and sculptor, active in the early part of the 20th century. He is one of the founders of modern art in Croatia. Kraljević studied painting in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

and

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

at the prestigious Academy of Arts along with

Oskar Herman Oskar Herman (1886–1974) was a Croatian-Jewish painter. He was one of the group of Croatian artists known as the Munich Circle, who had a strong influence on modern art in Croatia. Biography Herman was born on 17 March 1886 in Zagreb to Croa ...

, Vladimir Becić and

Josip Račić Josip Račić (22 March 1885 – 19 June 1908) was a Croatian painter in the early 20th century. Although he died very young (he was only 23), and his work was mostly created during his student years, he is one of the best known modern Croatian p ...

. This group of Croatian artists were later called the Munich Circle, known for their influence on modern art in

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 ...

. After Munich, Kraljević spent time in the family home at Požega, and then in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

where he produced his best work. He died in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...

in April 1913, aged 27, from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

. Miroslav Kraljević painted in many different styles, including

Impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

, Pointillism and Expressionism. He also became known for his drawings of grotesque or erotic characters, in a similar way to

Aubrey Beardsley Aubrey Vincent Beardsley (21 August 187216 March 1898) was an English illustrator and author. His black ink drawings were influenced by Japanese woodcuts, and depicted the grotesque, the decadent, and the erotic. He was a leading figure in the ...

, and for his sculptures. Working in a variety of media, he used almost every painting and drawing technique in his portraits, figures, still lifes, animals and landscapes. His graphics used etching and woodcut, and sculptures were created in clay, plaster and bronze.

Biography

Miroslav Kraljević was born on 14 December 1885 in

Gospić Gospić () is a town in the mountainous and sparsely populated region of Lika, Croatia. It is the administrative centre of Lika-Senj County. Gospić is located near the Lika River in the middle of a karst field ( Ličko Polje). Gospić is the ...

, in the area of Lika. His early childhood up to 7th grade high school (1888 to 1902) was spent in

, though he completed high school in Gospić (1902–1904). He loved

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

and

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

, and he was often seen drawing. In 1904, the young Kraljević left for

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. There, in addition to studying law, he took painting lessons privately with George Fischhof. After two years he gave up the study of law and devoted himself to painting. In the autumn of 1906 Kraljević moved to

, where he spent two terms at the private school of Moritz Heymann, known for training excellent printermakers. After seven months in Munich, he enrolled in the prestigious

Academy of Fine Arts The following is a list of notable art schools. Accredited non-profit art and design colleges * Adelaide Central School of Art * Alberta College of Art and Design * Art Academy of Cincinnati * Art Center College of Design * The Art Institute ...

and became a student of

Hugo von Habermann Hugo Joseph Anton Freiherr von Habermann (14 June 1849 – 27 February 1929) was a German painter and draftsman. He is sometimes referred to as "the Elder" to distinguish him from his nephew of the same name, who was also a painter. Life Habe ...

. During his time there (1907–1910) he studied with fellow Croatian painters

and Vladimir Becić. At that time Munich was an important center of the European art scene, particularly for

Realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *Classical Realism *Literary realism, a move ...

Post-Impressionism Post-Impressionism (also spelled Postimpressionism) was a predominantly French art movement that developed roughly between 1886 and 1905, from the last Impressionist exhibition to the birth of Fauvism. Post-Impressionism emerged as a reaction a ...

Symbolism Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: Arts * Symbolism (arts), a 19th-century movement rejecting Realism ** Symbolist movement in Romania, symbolist literature and visual arts in Romania during the late 19th and early 20th centuries ** Russian sym ...

and

Jugendstil ''Jugendstil'' ("Youth Style") was an artistic movement, particularly in the decorative arts, that was influential primarily in Germany and elsewhere in Europe to a lesser extent from about 1895 until about 1910. It was the German counterpart of ...

. Upon completion of his studies in Munich, Kraljević returned to his family, who had by then moved to Požega, and where he spent 1910 and a good part of 1911. During this time, he painted ''Self-portrait with Dog'' (Croatian: Autoportret sa psom), and many of his other well-known portraits, landscapes and other works with rustic themes. He also returned to his interest in sculpture, producing works in clay, plaster and bronze. In 1911, Kraljević received a state grant to study in Paris. He formally enrolled in the Academy La Grande Chaumiére, but instead began to paint intensively at the studios of friends. Here Kraljević's creative talent came to the fore, and despite the advancing effects of

, he produced some of his best work, a range of motifs of Parisian life in drawings and oils. After a year, he left Paris and returned home to Požega. In the autumn of 1912 Kraljević went to Zagreb, where he organized his first solo exhibition, which had a retrospective character. He rented a studio, where he continued to paint until December 1913. Then he went to a

sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...

in Berstovca for treatment. After two months, he left the hospital to return to Zagreb, where he died two days later on 16 April 1913 of

. He was only 27 years old. He is buried in the family grave in Požega.

Legacy

Nude by Miroslav Kraljević 1969 Yugoslavian stamp

The "Munich Circle" marks the beginning of Croatian Modernism. The term was coined in the 1950s, referring to the four artists who studied at the Munich Academy of Art in the early 1900s. Miroslav Kraljević, along with fellow Croatian artists Joseph Račić, Vladimir Becić and Oscar Herman established modern art in Croatia, setting a new direction from the previously dominant academic traditions. Their art was autonomous artistic expression, without literary, historical or moralistic framework, which puts them in direct contact with French impressionism, particularly with Manet and Cézanne as role models. Miroslav Kraljević is one of the founders of Croatian modern painting, and almost from the beginning was an extremely versatile artist. His art can be hard to categorize, as he explored many different styles and techniques. Kraljević's graphic work displays strong tonal qualities and an excellent sense of light and dark relationships, perfectly suiting a sensitive temperament which could express extreme joy, but soon transform into deepest melancholy. The most mature pictures of Kraljević's creative period were produced while he was in Požega: Krave na paši (Cows at Pasture), Bik (Bull), and U staji (In the Stables). Broad strokes and sharp contrasts of color show the artist in his natural element, the countryside, rather than the bourgeois parlor atmosphere. Also in Požega, he painted one of his best-known and finest self-portraits: Self-portrait with Dog. There he created and anthological works of Croatian art, such as Portret tete Luike (Portrait of Aunt Luike), Djevojčica s lutkom (Girl with Dolls) and portraits of his mother and father, and the poetic landscape painted with impressionistic atmosphere. His work contains elements of both

(for example in Park Luxembourg), and Expressionism (Women in the Park). His pipe pictures, also created in Paris, show methods similar to Cézanne. The Gallery Miroslav Kraljević is an independent and non-profit contemporary art platform and gallery in Zagreb dedicated to promoting cutting edge contemporary Croatian art and building links to the international art scene. It is named after Miroslav Kraljević "whose innovations exercised a decisive influence on Croatian visual art in the beginning of the 20th century".

Works

* Autoportret sa psom (Self-portrait with Dog) 1910. oil on canvas * Krave na paši (Cows at Pasture) 1910-11. oil on canvas * Bik (Bull) 1910-11. oil on canvas * U staji (In the Stables) 1910-11. oil on canvas * Autoportret s lulom (Self-portrait with a pipe) 1911-12. oil on canvas * Mali autoportret s paletom (Small self-portrait with a palette) 1911-12. oil on canvas * Bonvivant 1912. oil on canvas * Girl with a doll * Park Luxembourg * Women in the Park * Great Park * Female nude * Works online

Exhibitions

Solo exhibits

* 1912 Gallery Ulrich, Zagreb - Miroslav Kraljević Solo Exhibit * 1999 Gallery of Fine Arts, Osijek - Miroslav Kraljević Solo Show: prints and graphics from the

Museum of Arts and Crafts, Zagreb The Museum of Arts and Crafts ( hr, Muzej za umjetnost i obrt) in Zagreb, Croatia, was established in 1880, by the initiative of the Arts Society and its former President Izidor Kršnjavi. Drawing on the theoretical precepts of England's Arts a ...

* 2004 Adris Gallery, Rovinj - Miroslav Kraljević Exhibit * 2013–2014

Modern Gallery, Zagreb Modern Gallery ( hr, Moderna galerija; 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 Croati ...

- largest retrospective exhibition of Kraljević's work to date, with nearly 200 works

Group exhibits

* 1914 International Printmaking Exhibition in Zagreb. An international print exhibition was held at which 160 artists took part, showing 870 works. Miroslav Kraljević was one of 14 Croatian artists exhibiting their work which included prints, drawings, pastels and watercolours. * 1942 Venice Bienniale - Miroslav Kraljević was one of the Croatian artists' work on display in the Croatian exhibit that year. * 1973 Art Pavilion Zagreb - Paintings of the Munich Circle * 2007 Museum of Modern Art, Dubrovnik - From the Permanent Collection

Public collections

Public Collections in Croatia that hold works by Miroslav Kraljević * Museum of Modern Art Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik * MMSU - Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Rijeka, Rijeka * Galerija Umjetnina Split, Split * MSU Muzej Suvremene Umjetnosti / Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb Public Collection in Macedonia that holds work by Miroslav Kraljević * Nacionalna Galerija - Chifte Amam - Skopje, Skopje

Gallery

File:Miroslav Kraljević - Madona.jpg, ''Madonna'' File:Miroslav Kraljević - Apres.jpg, ''After'' File:Miroslav Kraljević - Golgotha.jpg, ''Golgotha'' File:Miroslav Kraljević - Zrelo voće.jpg, ''Ripe Fruit'' File:Miroslav Kraljević - Tri gracije.jpg, ''The Three Graces''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kraljevic, Miroslav 19th-century Croatian painters 20th-century Croatian painters Croatian male painters 19th-century Croatian sculptors 20th-century Croatian sculptors 1885 births 1913 deaths People from Gospić Post-impressionist painters Academy of Fine Arts, Munich alumni Alumni of the Académie de la Grande Chaumière 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis Tuberculosis deaths in Croatia 19th-century Croatian male artists 20th-century Croatian male artists