oil on canvas, 33 x 22 cm, signed lower left in red "Vlaho Bukovac"

Vlaho Bukovac remains a monumental figure who, by his own efforts, opened the door to modern art in our region. After an adventurous youth spent in sailing and traveling across America, he completed his formal education in Paris under the guidance of the celebrated academic master Alexandre Cabanel. After gaining recognition from critics at the Paris Salon, Bukovac returned to Croatia in 1893. Over the next five years, he acted as the main driver of the domestic avant-garde, establishing the "Zagreb Coloured School" - a movement that decisively replaced the dark palette of traditional academia with reasoned, lively brush strokes and intense, radiant light. By 1897, Bukovac's creative and institutional authority in Zagreb was undeniable, accompanied by a body of work that speaks for itself. Elected as the first president of the newly founded Society of Croatian Artists and just moved into a purpose-built studio with a glass roof on Tomislav Square, Bukovac was at the peak of artistic self-confidence. It was in this electrified, revolutionary atmosphere that he painted "The Asleep". A larger version of this oil on canvas, dated to 1897, is recorded in Bukovac's documentation, testifying to how much this theme interested the artist and provided him with the visual appeal necessary for its realization.

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