45. Conversation [1954.]

Dušan Džamonja was born in Strmica, in North Macedonia, in 1928. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb in 1951, and until 1953 was an associate of Master Workshops A. Augustinčić and F. Kršinić. He died in Zagreb in 2009. As a sculptor, he specialized primarily in the abstraction of organic vitalism. In his forms, he experimented with the possibilities of geometric bodies, standing out from their regularities. His greatest specificity is the treatment of sculpture surfaces. They consist of welded chains, nails, hammered metal surfaces, and deliberately oxidized iron. By creating forms that are solely shaped by welded nails, he reached a unique expression in international informal art. The rough textures of his sculptures counteract their regular forms, founded in spatial geometry. He is an internationally recognized sculptor whose works are featured in the museums of MOMA in New York and Tate in London. International contemporary art specialists like Herbert Read and Giulio Carlo Argan have written about his work. He was a member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (HAZU). He is also the author of many anthological public monuments: Monument to the Revolution of the people of Moslavina in Podgarić, from 1960; Monument to the December Victims 1943, Zagreb, 1960; Monument to the Revolution on Kozara, 1972. Although he is best known for his sculptures, Džamonja also left a notable drawing opus behind him. What characterizes him as a sculptor can also be found in his drawing works. First and foremost, this is the composition of the surface structure of irregular elements, harmoniously intertwined. This is also the case with this drawing in which the alternation of black and brick-red shapes forms a solid composition. The title suggests the recognition of characters and their interrelationships. Nevertheless, we can also experience this drawing as a game of this artist's favorite, organic forms. The dynamics achieved here are comparable to those of a lively microcosm, and the playful and at the same time solid composition of irregular surfaces reflects the geometric forms games characteristic of Džamonja's sculptural creativity. (F.G.)

Dimensions

width 48.5 cm, height 33 cm

Description

oil on paper, signed and dated lower right, in pencil, "Džam (19)54."; monogrammed lower right, in pencil

Dating

1954.

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