Todor Švrakić
Encyclopedia
Todor Švrakić, born in Prijedor
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
in 1882, was a famous painter
. He was one of the early 20th century pioneers of Bosnian painting within the European style and is considered one of the Western Balkans' most notable watercolour artists.
His father, a carpenter, initially apprenticed Švrakić to a tailor, but his interest in painting took Švrakić, aged 16, to Belgrade, where he studied at Risto Vukanović's private painting school. He went on to study at the art academy in Vienna
under Pavle Paja Jovanović. He subsequently gained a scholarship to the Prague
Academy of Art.
Following his return to Bosnia, he became one of Bosnia's most prominent artists. Prof. Ahmed Burić, dating the beginnings of Bosnian painting back to Bosnia's annexation by the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1878, mentions Todor Švrakić, along with Gabrijel Jurkić
, Lazar Drljača and Petar Šain, as one of the very first modern Bosnian artists. Along with Pero Popović, Karlo Mijić and Branko Radulović, he was one of Bosnia's first academically-trained artists. Conservative in outlook, they opted for a naturalistic style, with an inclination for ethnographic subjects, but they opened up the way for the next generation of more innovative artists.
In 1907 Popovic, Radulovic and Švrakić exhibited in one of the two exhibitions that year that marked the beginnings of the modern painting tradition in in Bosnia.
The Kozara Museum in Prijedor owns a number of Švrakić's pictures and in 2010 hosted an exhibition of his work commemorating the hundredth anniversary of Švrakić's own 1910 exhibition in Prijedor.
Švrakić died in Sarajevo
in 1931.
An important aspect of this attempt at Bosnian "nation-building" was the effort to develop a common cultural identity based on a common vernacular and historical tradition and the development of links with the wider European culture through a process of cultural modernisation. Part of this cultural modernisation was the encouragement of a native school of Bosnian painting within the European style.
During the 19th century painting in Bosnia was dominated by foreign artists. Two exhibitions in Sarajevo in 1907 marked the emergence of the first generation of native Bosnian painters influenced by their exposure to the European tradition during their training in the Academies of the Empire. One of these exhibitions displayed the work of Gabrijel Jurkić, a Croat trained in Zagreb, and the other the work of three former students at the Academy in Prague, the Serbs Pero Popović, Branko Radulović and Todor Švrakić.
Although Lipa notes that the work of these painters who introduced contemporary European trends and movements to Bosnia was mostly characterised by a naturalistic and realistic approach, with little experimentation or radical innovation, nevertheless, the lasting impact of their pioneering accomplishments marks 1907 as "the turning point" for Bosnian painting.
Prijedor
Prijedor is a city and municipality in the north-western part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in the Bosanska Krajina region....
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
in 1882, was a famous painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
. He was one of the early 20th century pioneers of Bosnian painting within the European style and is considered one of the Western Balkans' most notable watercolour artists.
His father, a carpenter, initially apprenticed Švrakić to a tailor, but his interest in painting took Švrakić, aged 16, to Belgrade, where he studied at Risto Vukanović's private painting school. He went on to study at the art academy in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
under Pavle Paja Jovanović. He subsequently gained a scholarship to the Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
Academy of Art.
Following his return to Bosnia, he became one of Bosnia's most prominent artists. Prof. Ahmed Burić, dating the beginnings of Bosnian painting back to Bosnia's annexation by the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1878, mentions Todor Švrakić, along with Gabrijel Jurkić
Gabrijel Jurkic
Gabrijel Jurkić was a Bosnian Croat artist, born in Livno, now Bosnia and Herzegovina, and died at a Franciscan monastery near there in 1974....
, Lazar Drljača and Petar Šain, as one of the very first modern Bosnian artists. Along with Pero Popović, Karlo Mijić and Branko Radulović, he was one of Bosnia's first academically-trained artists. Conservative in outlook, they opted for a naturalistic style, with an inclination for ethnographic subjects, but they opened up the way for the next generation of more innovative artists.
In 1907 Popovic, Radulovic and Švrakić exhibited in one of the two exhibitions that year that marked the beginnings of the modern painting tradition in in Bosnia.
The Kozara Museum in Prijedor owns a number of Švrakić's pictures and in 2010 hosted an exhibition of his work commemorating the hundredth anniversary of Švrakić's own 1910 exhibition in Prijedor.
Švrakić died in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
in 1931.
Historical background
Aida Lipa has noted in her study of cultural politics in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Austro-Hungarian Period how after Bosnia and Herzegovina's annexation in 1878, Sarajevo became the cultural as well as the administrative centre of Bosnia and Herzegovina and how, anxious to integrate feudal post-Ottoman B&H with the industrial capitalist economy of the Empire and counter the impact on the Bosnian Serbs and Croats of nationalistic propaganda in support of Serbian and Croatian territorial aspirations, the Austro-Hungarian administration sought to foster a Bosnian national identity that would unify the country's different ethnic groups.An important aspect of this attempt at Bosnian "nation-building" was the effort to develop a common cultural identity based on a common vernacular and historical tradition and the development of links with the wider European culture through a process of cultural modernisation. Part of this cultural modernisation was the encouragement of a native school of Bosnian painting within the European style.
During the 19th century painting in Bosnia was dominated by foreign artists. Two exhibitions in Sarajevo in 1907 marked the emergence of the first generation of native Bosnian painters influenced by their exposure to the European tradition during their training in the Academies of the Empire. One of these exhibitions displayed the work of Gabrijel Jurkić, a Croat trained in Zagreb, and the other the work of three former students at the Academy in Prague, the Serbs Pero Popović, Branko Radulović and Todor Švrakić.
Although Lipa notes that the work of these painters who introduced contemporary European trends and movements to Bosnia was mostly characterised by a naturalistic and realistic approach, with little experimentation or radical innovation, nevertheless, the lasting impact of their pioneering accomplishments marks 1907 as "the turning point" for Bosnian painting.