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 painters. Today, Račić is regarded as one of the most important representatives of Croatian modern painting. He studied lithography in

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 ...

, and 1904 he went to

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

and

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 ...

, where he studied for a year at the school of the Slovene painter and teacher

Anton Ažbe Anton Ažbe (30 May 1862 – 5 or 6 August 1905) was a Slovene realist painter and teacher of painting. Ažbe, crippled since birth and orphaned at the age of eight, learned painting as an apprentice to Janez Wolf and at the Academies in Vienn ...

, followed by 3 years at the prestigious

Academy of Arts An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

. There, Račić, 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 Cro ...

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 ...

and Miroslav Kraljević formed the group known as the Croatian School. In 1908, he went to Paris where he painted a series of watercolors and oils depicting Parisian bridges, avenues and parks. He died by suicide with a gun in a Paris hotel room in June 1908. Josip Račić is one of the founders of modern Croatian art, the first to bring the concept of self-awareness and artistic integrity to his life and works, ''"pure painting"'', as he called it. A particular feature of his paintings is the strong dark realms of human spirituality. A retrospective of his work was held in the Modern Gallery in Zagreb and Dubrovnik in 2008–2009, to mark the 100th anniversary of the artist's death.

Biography

Josip Račić was born on 22 March 1885 in Horvati, near

(today the area of Knežija and Srednjaci). From 1892 to 1896 he went to the lower town general elementary school for boys in Samostanska ulica in Zagreb (today called the Josip Juraj Strossmayer Elementary School). His elementary school drawing master was the artist

Oton Iveković Oton Iveković (; 17 April 1869 – 4 July 1939) was a Croats, Croatian painter. A graduate of Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, Iveković later taught at the University of Zagreb Academy of Fine Arts, Academy of Fine ...

. From 1896 to 1900 he attended the Royal High School in Zagreb, which is now the home of the

Mimara Museum The Mimara Museum () is an art museum in the city of Zagreb, Croatia. It is situated on Roosevelt Square, housing the collection by Wiltrud and Ante Topić Mimara. Housed in an imposing neo-Renaissance former school is the eclectic, globe-trottin ...

. Račić learned the trade of

lithography Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the miscibility, immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by ...

from 1900 to 1903 from Vladimir Rožankowsky, a master craftsman and owner of a lithographic studio in Zagreb. In 1904 he went to Munich to study at the School of

who very quickly noticed Račić's talents and encouraged him to go on working and studying. In 1905, Račić was briefly employed as a lithographic draughtsman in the firm of Deutsches Verlag R. Bong und Comp in Berlin, but later the same year returned to Munich and entered the

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 ...

, where he studied for three years (1905–1908) under such teachers as Johann and Ludwig Herterich, and Hugo von Habermann. At that time Munich was a center of European art scene 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: *American Realism *Classical Realism *Liter ...

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: *Symbol, any object or sign that represents an idea Arts *Artistic symbol, an element of a literary, visual, or other work of art that represents an idea ** Color symbolism, the use of colors within various c ...

and

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

. Josip Račić, along with

and Miroslav Kraljević, formed the group then known as ''Die Kroatische Schule'' (The Croatian School). In Croatian art history they are referred to as the '' Munich Circle'' or the ''Munich Four''. Their work drew much on the painting of

Wilhelm Leibl Wilhelm Maria Hubertus Leibl (October 23, 1844 – December 4, 1900) was a German realist painter of portraits and scenes of peasant life. Biography Leibl was born in Cologne, where his father was the director of the Cathedral choir. He was a ...

and

Édouard Manet Édouard Manet (, ; ; 23 January 1832 – 30 April 1883) was a French Modernism, modernist painter. He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism (art movement), R ...

(whose work they had the opportunity to see in Munich in 1907) and of older masters, the works of

Frans Hals Frans Hals the Elder (, ; ; – 26 August 1666) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. He lived and worked in Haarlem, a city in which the local authority of the day frowned on religious painting in places of worship but citizens liked to decorate thei ...

Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 1746 – 16 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, an ...

and

Velázquez 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 ...

. Josip Račić's own work displayed strong tonal architectural qualities, with marked fullness of form and a profound psychology in the figures. In 1908, Račić moved to Paris, where he copied works from the Louvre, painted parks, river bank and café scenes, portraits and self-portraits. Josip Račić died of gunshot wounds in a Paris hotel room on 20 June 1908. He had committed suicide for reasons that still remain unclear.

Legacy

Josip Račić is considered one of the greatest enigmas of Croatian modern art. From simple beginnings, he arrived in Munich, at that time one of the great creative centers of the European art scene, and found for himself inspiration in the paintings of Leibl, Manet and the Impressionists, and the tradition of Velázquez and

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

. According to

Miroslav Krleža Miroslav Krleža (; 7 July 1893 – 29 December 1981) was a Croatian writer who is widely considered to be the greatest Croatian writer of the 20th century. He wrote notable works in all the literary genres, including poetry ('' The Ballads o ...

, Račić was one of the first pioneers of the Munich Academy of art, his attitude is certainly important as the Leibl phenomenon in the history of German painting. The early 20th century saw great changes in

European art The art of Europe, also known as Western art, encompasses the history of visual art in Europe. European prehistoric art started as mobile Upper Paleolithic rock and cave painting and petroglyph art and was characteristic of the period betw ...

, and Croatian art was also taking on a new form. The Munich Four were part of the new direction, especially "J. Račić and M. Kraljević, who in their short lives succeeded in creating works pivotal to the continued development of art". "Do not be in any doubt as to Račić's inherent artistic sensibility and the authenticity of his power to think. (...) Račić's painting is at the top the end of the development of traditional realism in the broad sense of the word. Oriented toward Manet, the idealized Goya and focused shaping of forces: the true pictorial interpretation of emotions. His work certainly stands above all" Radoslav Putar Račić's work is extremely important for the birth of the Croatian modern art and its incorporation into European trends of modern painting. The Josip Račić Modern Gallery Studio in Zagreb is named in honour of the artist. It is associated with the Modern Gallery, and is dedicated to the presentation of the works of Croatian contemporary artists.

Exhibits

* 1920 The first solo (posthumous) exhibit of his work was arranged by Ljubo Babić in the Museum of Arts and Crafts in Zagreb. * 1961

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 ...

Josip Račić Exhibition * 2004 Adris Gallery, Rovinj Josip Račić Exhibition open: from 23 July – 20 September 2004. From the collection of the Modern Gallery in Zagreb * 2008 Modern Gallery in Zagreb The first complete retrospective of works by Josip Račić, one of the most important representatives of Croatian modern painting. The most complete presentation of the oeuvre of Račić to date. It showed almost all the Račić works held in museums, galleries and privately in and outside Croatia. Also included are works recently ascribed to the great painter, works the attribution of which to Račić is still in dispute, a large selection of documentation (letters, photographs, postcards and picture postcard) as well as a selection of the works of the great world masters who were Račić's models. The exhibit included more than one hundred works, oils, watercolors and drawings. In addition to works from the holdings of the Modern Gallery, there were works borrowed from other collections by Croatian and foreign museums and private owners that provided the widest and deepest insight into the relatively meager work of the artist whose life ended in his 24th year. A significant part of the exhibition were Račić's childhood drawings, documentary materials, which completes the picture of his short but very productive life and work. * 2009 Museum of Modern Art, Dubrovnik Josip Račić – A Retrospective Exhibition Works by Josip Račić are on display in the Modern Gallery in Zagreb as part of its permanent collection.

Works

* Muškarac sa šalom (Man with scarf), 1907. oil on canvas * Portret starog prijatelja I (Portrait of an Old Friend I), 1907. oil on canvas * Portret starog prijatelja II (Portrait of an Old Friend II), 1907. oil on canvas * Starac u crvenom prsluku (Old Man with Red Vest), 1907. oil on canvas * Dama u bijelom (Lady in White), 1907. oil on canvas Alternative title: Portret gospode u bijeloj bluzi (Woman in a White Blouse)? * Gospođica u crnom (Woman in Red), 1907. oil on canvas Portret gospode u crnini (1907) * Portret gospode sa sesirom (Portrait of Woman with Hat) (1907)oil on canvas * Portret sestre Pepice (Portrait of Sister Pepice), 1907. oil on canvas * Ženski akt (Female Nude), 1907. oil on canvas * Autoportret (Self-portrait), 1908. oil on canvas * U kavani (In the Cafe), 1908. watercolour * Kavana na boulevaru (Cafe on the Boulevard), 1908. akvarel * Majka i dijete (Mother and Child), 1908. oil on canvas * Portret slikara Schuleina (Portrait of the artist Schuleina?) (1908) * Pont des Arts (Bridge of the Arts), 1908. oil on canvas * U parku (In the Park), 1908. watercolour * U razgovoru (Conversation), 1908. watercolour * Pred ogledalom (In Front of the Mirror), 1908. watercolour * Na boulevaru I (On the Boulevard I), 1908. watercolour * Na boulevaru II (On the Boulevard II), 1908.watercolour

Gallery

File:Josip Račić - Na Seini.jpg, On the

Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...

File:Josip Račić - Kavana na bulevaru.jpg, Café on the Boulevard File:Josip Račić - U Kavani.jpg, In the Café File:Josip Račić - Djevojka pred ogledalom.jpg, Girl in front of the mirror File:Josip Račić - Place D'Etoile.jpg,

Place de l'Étoile The Place Charles de Gaulle (), historically known as the Place de l'Étoile (), is a large road junction in Paris, France, the meeting point of twelve straight avenues (hence its historic name, which translates as "Square of the Star") includ ...

File:Josip Račić - Park Luxembourg.jpg,

Jardin du Luxembourg The Jardin du Luxembourg (), known in English as the Luxembourg Garden, colloquially referred to as the Jardin du Sénat (Senate Garden), is located in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France. The creation of the garden began in 1612 when Mar ...

File:Josip Račić - Dama u Crnom.jpg, Woman in Black File:Josip Račić - Portret Schüleina.jpg, Portrait of Schüleine

References

External links

Online exhibit of his works
{{DEFAULTSORT:Racic, Josip 1885 births 1908 suicides Artists from Zagreb Realist painters Suicides by firearm in France Artists who died by suicide Academy of Fine Arts, Munich alumni 19th-century Croatian painters 20th-century Croatian painters Croatian male painters 1908 deaths 19th-century Croatian male artists 20th-century Croatian male artists Painters from Austria-Hungary