oil on hardboard, 70 x 100 cm, signed lower right, in red ''F Šim''

The expressive trace of stone formations in the karst landscape of the Dalmatian hinterland is the most common motif of Frane Šimunović (1908 - 1995). In this painting, these stone boundaries are reduced to an elementary, linear visuality and almost entirely abstracted. In the overall aesthetic-worldview framework of post-war painting, which implied a closeness to existentialist philosophy, and in the context of Šimunović's painting refinement in Spain (1934/35), his painted boundaries can be interpreted as pictorial expressions that prompt reflections on human life. On the white background of the painting, black lines stand out, between which we see accents of tones from dark brown to lighter ochre. In this way, the motif is emphasized, highlighted in the middle of the composition like a scream in the void. The scarcity of colors also reminds us of the scarcity of the earth and the bitterness of the landscape of the Dalmatian hinterland, which was Šimunović's inspiration. He reminds us of his father's, Dinko Šimunović's, stories about the harsh life in that area. FG

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