23. Interior [1960]

The past, 20th century is a century of contrast. The century of cars, world wars, industrial revolution, aviation, development of electronics, space explorations, digital revolution, globalization, IT and great change. Omer Mujadžić (Bosanska Gradiška, 1903. - Zagreb, 1991.) is a Croatian and Bosnian-Herzegovinian painter who lived through this era of extreme changes, challenges and contradictions, marked by a torrent of ideologies, conflicts, and rapid technological progress. Mujadžić's opus is diverse and polar just like the last century, covering intimate portraits, socially engaged art, religious motives, landscapes, acts, social realism, still life and illustrations. He explores a wide range of themes such as child labour, peasant life and post-war reconstruction, but also deals with intimate motives and interior depictions. Through Interior (1960.) Mujadžić demonstrates the skill of coloristic reduction and creation of atmospheric ambiance through a narrow range of earth tones. Monochromatic narrowing of the color palette and wide, foggy brush strokes, make certain elements of the composition elusive. The dining table and the carpet suggest an oriental interior. However, the oriental character of this interior is confirmed by traditional gender roles attributed to the figures in the interior. Although the figures are devoid of faces and any distinctive features, their gestures reveal gender attribution. The man is spatially dominant and smoking, while the woman performs the role of a cook, implicitly confirming a conventional patriarchal order of the disappearing, Ottoman generation of Mujadžić's parents.

Dimensions

width 45 cm, height 38 cm

Description

oil on hardboard, signed upper right, in black, "Mujadžić"

Dating

1960

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