The photos of the lot are informative and indicative, and cannot provide a highly detailed view of the object from all angles. We recommend a careful physical inspection of the lot before bidding.
The photos of the lot are informative and indicative, and cannot provide a highly detailed view of the object from all angles. We recommend a careful physical inspection of the lot before bidding.
Emanuel Vidović (Split, 1870 - Split, 1953) was a Croatian painter and graphic artist, whose rich opus defined the period of modernism in Croatia. Born in Split on December 24, 1870, as the first child of Ivan Vidović and Paška, born Grubić, from early youth Emanuel showed interest in painting and drawing. After private lessons and preparations with Dr. Emil Vecchietti, he was admitted to the sculpture department of the Venice Accademia di Belle Arti in 1887. He left after only three years of study to devote himself to painting and bohemian life in Venice and Milan, eventually discovering the beauty of the fishing town near Venice, Chioggia. In this town, immortalized in his numerous vedutas, Vidović met his future wife, Amalia Baffo, with whom he would later have nine children. He soon returned to Split, where he began working at a school as an art educator, not giving up his artistic endeavors. In the early stages of his creation, Vidović created key works such as "Little World" (1904) and "Angelus" (1906/1907), marking the beginning of the period of symbolism and depictions of dusk landscapes of reduced chromatics. After World War I, his palette became darker, turning to interiors as main sources of inspiration. With trembling brush strokes, he notes the atmosphere of the interiors of churches, cathedrals, and his apartment and painting studio in Split. In his opus, still lifes, inhabited by fruit, dead fish and birds, and antique objects, dolls, clocks, palettes with brushes, and similar objects from the painter's working and living space find their place. Vidović continues his work during World War II, marked by disagreements with the ruling Italian political regime and rebellion against the appropriation of Croatian artists and art by the Italians. After turbulent war and post-war years, he continued to create and exhibit, remaining a significant figure on the artistic and academic scene. His later years did not hinder his artistic adventures, and he was active even in the last days of his life. He died on June 1, 1953, in his hometown of Split, after a long and severe illness. Although his life, like the lives of many other Croatian artists from the given period, was marked by many ups and downs, Vidović left behind a painting heritage that became the foundation of modernism and intimacy in Croatia. His opus has been the subject of numerous publications and retrospectives, from which we can highlight the most recent one - 'Emanuel Vidović: pasatist and modernist', held in 2018 at the Art Pavilion in Zagreb. At this retrospective, "Laguna", a work of timeless beauty and simplicity, was also exhibited. Dated between 1905 and 1906, "Laguna" represents one of the more refined and delicate achievements from Vidović's early creation, where the motif, as well as the palette, are reduced to their extremes. Therefore, we can observe and evaluate "Laguna" in relation to other significant works from the corresponding period, such as the already mentioned "Angelus" (1906/1907), "Twilight" (1903/1905), "From the Laguna" (1905/1906), "Fisherman's House" (1905/1906), etc. Bathed in airy mist, in the center of this elongated canvas we find the motif of a boat with a fisherman, while the gloomy horizon is vaguely indicated in the background. The scene radiates with the tranquillity found in the Dalmatian coast during cold dawns, when the first fishermen set out on their early morning ventures. Vidović observes and records this everyday scene through the prism of an artist, adding a meditative, almost metaphysical aspect to it through carefully constructed composition and a selected palette of colors. Seemingly, this work is monochromatic in its execution, built on a subtle gradation of blue tones. However, in these airy color applications, the sharp eye of the observer can discern subtle tones of pink, purple, and brown, under which the warm tone of the preparation shines through. These are skillful color games in which Vidović was an unmatched master and which he used sovereignly to form his atmospheric landscapes from the beginning of the 20th century. This mastery is especially expressed in "Laguna", which to the eye of the modern observer seems equally modern, innovative, and impressive as at the moment of its creation, more than 120 years ago.
Dimensions
width 80 cm, height 40 cm
Description
oil on canvas, signed lower left, in brown, "E. VIDOVIĆ"
Research information
The work was exhibited at the retrospective exhibition Emanuel Vidovic, in the Art Pavilion, Zagreb, 23. 3. 2018 - 13. 5. 2018. The work is inventoried and presented in Emanuel Vidovic's online database under the title "In the Lagoon". The work was exhibited at the exhibition "Emanuel Vidovic: Pasatist and Modernist", Galleria d’Arte Moderna, Milan, 2022., and reproduced in the exhibition catalog under the title "Nera Lagoon", cat. no. 20.
Dating
1905.-1909.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For clarifications regarding the bidding procedure, hammer price costs, guarantee, payment, and collection terms for the winning lot, we recommend carefully reading/re-reading the Bidding Regulations.
For additional information regarding the lot and the auction, please contact the Art Consultants Department.
Detalii
Emanuel Vidović (Split, 1870 - Split, 1953) was a Croatian painter and graphic artist, whose rich opus defined the period of modernism in Croatia. Born in Split on December 24, 1870, as the first child of Ivan Vidović and Paška, born Grubić, from early youth Emanuel showed interest in painting and drawing. After private lessons and preparations with Dr. Emil Vecchietti, he was admitted to the sculpture department of the Venice Accademia di Belle Arti in 1887. He left after only three years of study to devote himself to painting and bohemian life in Venice and Milan, eventually discovering the beauty of the fishing town near Venice, Chioggia. In this town, immortalized in his numerous vedutas, Vidović met his future wife, Amalia Baffo, with whom he would later have nine children. He soon returned to Split, where he began working at a school as an art educator, not giving up his artistic endeavors. In the early stages of his creation, Vidović created key works such as "Little World" (1904) and "Angelus" (1906/1907), marking the beginning of the period of symbolism and depictions of dusk landscapes of reduced chromatics. After World War I, his palette became darker, turning to interiors as main sources of inspiration. With trembling brush strokes, he notes the atmosphere of the interiors of churches, cathedrals, and his apartment and painting studio in Split. In his opus, still lifes, inhabited by fruit, dead fish and birds, and antique objects, dolls, clocks, palettes with brushes, and similar objects from the painter's working and living space find their place. Vidović continues his work during World War II, marked by disagreements with the ruling Italian political regime and rebellion against the appropriation of Croatian artists and art by the Italians. After turbulent war and post-war years, he continued to create and exhibit, remaining a significant figure on the artistic and academic scene. His later years did not hinder his artistic adventures, and he was active even in the last days of his life. He died on June 1, 1953, in his hometown of Split, after a long and severe illness. Although his life, like the lives of many other Croatian artists from the given period, was marked by many ups and downs, Vidović left behind a painting heritage that became the foundation of modernism and intimacy in Croatia. His opus has been the subject of numerous publications and retrospectives, from which we can highlight the most recent one - 'Emanuel Vidović: pasatist and modernist', held in 2018 at the Art Pavilion in Zagreb. At this retrospective, "Laguna", a work of timeless beauty and simplicity, was also exhibited. Dated between 1905 and 1906, "Laguna" represents one of the more refined and delicate achievements from Vidović's early creation, where the motif, as well as the palette, are reduced to their extremes. Therefore, we can observe and evaluate "Laguna" in relation to other significant works from the corresponding period, such as the already mentioned "Angelus" (1906/1907), "Twilight" (1903/1905), "From the Laguna" (1905/1906), "Fisherman's House" (1905/1906), etc. Bathed in airy mist, in the center of this elongated canvas we find the motif of a boat with a fisherman, while the gloomy horizon is vaguely indicated in the background. The scene radiates with the tranquillity found in the Dalmatian coast during cold dawns, when the first fishermen set out on their early morning ventures. Vidović observes and records this everyday scene through the prism of an artist, adding a meditative, almost metaphysical aspect to it through carefully constructed composition and a selected palette of colors. Seemingly, this work is monochromatic in its execution, built on a subtle gradation of blue tones. However, in these airy color applications, the sharp eye of the observer can discern subtle tones of pink, purple, and brown, under which the warm tone of the preparation shines through. These are skillful color games in which Vidović was an unmatched master and which he used sovereignly to form his atmospheric landscapes from the beginning of the 20th century. This mastery is especially expressed in "Laguna", which to the eye of the modern observer seems equally modern, innovative, and impressive as at the moment of its creation, more than 120 years ago.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For clarifications regarding the bidding procedure, hammer price costs, guarantee, payment, and collection terms for the winning lot, we recommend carefully reading/re-reading the Bidding Regulations.
For additional information regarding the lot and the auction, please contact the Art Consultants Department.
Dimensions
width 80 cm, height 40 cm
Description
oil on canvas, signed lower left, in brown, "E. VIDOVIĆ"
Research information
The work was exhibited at the retrospective exhibition Emanuel Vidovic, in the Art Pavilion, Zagreb, 23. 3. 2018 - 13. 5. 2018. The work is inventoried and presented in Emanuel Vidovic's online database under the title "In the Lagoon". The work was exhibited at the exhibition "Emanuel Vidovic: Pasatist and Modernist", Galleria d’Arte Moderna, Milan, 2022., and reproduced in the exhibition catalog under the title "Nera Lagoon", cat. no. 20.
