Tomislav Krizman (1882–1955), was a Croatian painter, graphic artist, costume and set designer, teacher, author and organizer of cultural events. He painted in oils and tempera, although he is principally remembered for his remarkable graphic art.

Tomislav Krizman
Born(1882-07-21)21 July 1882
Orlovac (now part of Karlovac), Austria-Hungary
(today's Croatia)
Died24 October 1955(1955-10-24) (aged 73)
NationalityCroatian
Known forOil painting, graphic art
Movementsecessionism, expressionism, cubism

He was of the founders of the Medulić Society, and the Zagreb Spring Salon of 1916. He exhibited in Zagreb, Belgrade, Ljubljana, Vienna, Paris and Rome.[1]

Biography edit

Tomislav Krizman was born on 21 July 1882 in Orlovac (now part of Karlovac). He attended the Commerce Academy (Trgovačka akademija), while also studying painting and drawing with Bela Čikoš Sesija, Robert Auer and Menci Clement Crnčić. From 1903 to 1907 he went to Vienna, where he attended the School of Crafts and Academy of Fine Arts studying with William Unger.[1]

Krizman remained in Vienna for ten years, an important time in his artistic development, spending time with other artists of the avant-garde secession. He incorporated their ideas into his own art, and participated in the group exhibitions Hagenbund, Jungbund, Künstlerhaus and Secesija ("Secession").

He exhibited his artworks as a part of Kingdom of Serbia's pavilion at International Exhibition of Art of 1911.[2]

From 1912, Krizman worked in Zagreb, first as a teacher at the Arts and Crafts School (Škola primijenjene umjetnosti i dizajna), then from 1922 in the Graphics Department of the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb.

He died on 24 October 1955 in Zagreb.

Legacy edit

Krizman is principally remembered for his remarkable graphic work. He loved to travel, and draw what he saw: views of Vienna, Hrvatsko Zagorje, Bosnia, and Dalmatia. His unusual views of Bosnia, Hercegovina, Kosovo and Macedonia are very evocative and fresh. He created some memorable portraits, including Mary Delvarda, Portret djevojčice ("Portrait of a Girl"), Autoportret ("Self-portrait"), Meštrović and Brat Hinko ("Brother Hinko").[3]

His knowledge of graphic techniques was published in a book "On Graphical Arts" (O grafičkim vještinama), (1952).

He wrote books and magazine articles and worked as a costume and set designer for opera and drama.

The appearance of posters corresponds with the emergence of the secession or art nouveau movements that arrived in Zagreb in 1898. The poster was a popular image form of the new era, and Tomislav Krizman created memorable poster art for various events of culture, sports, entertainment, and politics. One of his first posters was of the cabaret singer Marya Delvard, who had delighted audience in Vienna and Munich before arriving in Zagreb in 1907. Krizman's image perfectly captured the essential femme-fatale type of art nouveau woman.[4]

Works edit

  • Portrait of Marya Delvard[5]
  • Portrait of a Girl (Portret djevojčice)
  • Self-portrait (Autoportret)
  • Portrait of Ivan Meštrović
  • Brother Hinko (Brat Hinko)
  • A Street in Ohrid (Ulica u Ohridu), 1930[6]
  • Travel drawings and etchings[7]

Exhibitions edit

Solo shows edit

Recent solo exhibitions include

Group shows edit

During his lifetime, Krizman exhibited with the Medulić Society, and the Spring Salon. He exhibited in Zagreb, Belgrade, Ljubljana, Vienna, Paris and Rome.[1]

Public collections edit

Tomislav Krizman's work can be found in the following public collections

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Tomislav Krizman". Galerija Kaptol. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
  2. ^ Elezović, Zvezdana (2009). "Kosovske teme paviljona Kraljevine Srbije na međunarodnoj izložbi u Rimu 1911. godine". Baština. 27.
  3. ^ "NA DANASNJI DAN Rodjen Tomislav Krizman" [On this day the Birth of Tomislav Krizman]. HRT News Archive (in Croatian). Hrvatska radiotelevizija. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
  4. ^ Lada Kavurić. "Tomislav Krizman, Poster of Mary Delvard from 1907". European Poster Art -. Croatian Post, Inc. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
  5. ^ a b "Portraits in the Print Collection of the Croatian History Museum". Croatian History Museum. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2011. ...works by Tomislav Krizman, a 20th century part of the Collection that is of particular artistic value.
  6. ^ a b "Zbirka XIX. st. i prve polovice XX. stoljeća". Narodni Muzej, Zadar. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
  7. ^ a b "Works of Tomislav Krizman". Print Collection. National and University Library, Zagreb. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
  8. ^ a b "Tomislav Krizman (1882-1955), HR". Artfacts.net. Retrieved 25 March 2011.

Bibliography edit