Ljubo Babić

Biography Ljubomir Tito Stjepan Babić was born in Jastrebarsko on 14 June 1890, the son of Judge Antun Babić and Milka (née Kovačić), and nephew of the author Ljubo Babić (better known as Ksaver Šandor Gjalski). The Babić family had been raised to the nobility in 1716 by Charles VI Habsburg. The Babić family seat was Gredice near Zabok, which had been purchased by Babić's grandfather. Following his father's work transfers, young Ljubo attended elementary school in Slatina, Glina and Jastrebarsko. He attended high school in Bjelovar, with the final two years in the Donji Grad gymnasium in Zagreb. During that time, he attended private art school with Menci Clement Crnčić and Bela Čikoš Sesija, and took classes at the School of Arts and Crafts. After completing high school in 1908, at his father's encouragement he enrolled in the Faculty of Law at Zagreb University, but soon abandoned his studies for painting. Thanks to a scholarship from Count Teodor Pejačević Babić was able to attend the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich where he studied painting with Angelo Jank (1910–11), and Franz von Stuck (1911–13). In Munich, he completed a course of artistic anatomy at the Medical School while also studying…Citește mai mult

Legacy Ljubo Babić was a central figure in the Croatian art scene in the period between the two world wars. His views provided a strong influence over the art of the time. His early work from Munich shows some poetic symbolism and aspects of art nouveau. In portraits, he soon began to depict the more psychological characteristics of his subject. From 1916, expressionistic ideas and themes appeared, and a move towards abstraction, resulting in some of his finest works. In November 1916, on the death of Emperor Francis Joseph, all the streets of Zagreb were dressed in black flags. Inspired by this image, Babić, then aged 26, painted the scene from the second floor window of his studio on Ilica Street. In the foreground is a long, torn black flag and behind it are ominous clouds, and below the people passing. Black Flag (Crna zastava) stands as one of his most memorable images. Writer Miroslav Krleža said of Babić - in the years between 1916 and 1922 - that he was strongly influenced by the time and by his own ideas. A strong influence on both was the poet Silvije Strahimir Kranjčević. Babić illustrated Kranjčević's "Poems" (Pjesme, 1908) and many…Citește mai mult

Exhibitions Babić exhibited from 1910 until his death in 1974 in solo, group and collective shows around the world, including the "Medulić" Munich annual exhibition with other artists of the Vienna (Austria) Secession, the Croatian Spring Salon, Lade exhibitions, Independent Artists, Group of Three, Croatian artists, the XXI Venice Biennale, and in a number of other exhibitions of Croatian and Yugoslav artists. At the Exposition internationale in Paris 1925 and in New York in 1926, he worked in the International Theatre Exhibition.

Solo shows 2010/11 Ljubo Babić – Antologija (Anthology) Modern gallery, Zagreb. 1975/6 Ljubo Babić Retrospektiva, Modern Gallery, Zagreb

Modern Gallery, Zagreb Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb Museum of Modern Art, Dubrovnik Gallery of Fine Arts, Split Art Museum, Osijek Fine Art Gallery, Rijeka Macedonia (F.Y.R.M.)

Ljubomir Tito Stjepan Babić (14 June 1890 – 14 May 1974) was a Croatian artist, museum curator and literary critic. As an artist, he worked in a variety of media including oils, tempera, watercolour, drawing, etching, and lithography. He was one of the most influential figures in the Zagreb art scene between the two world wars. He collaborated with director Branko Gavella in creating a series of set designs for the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb. In 1940 he became a full professor at the Academy of Fine Arts Zagreb. He held exhibitions at home and abroad and published many articles on art history and critiques of contemporary art events. He wrote and illustrated many books, worked on designs for posters, interiors and decorative arts objects.

Books and publications Maestral, 1931 Croatian Art in the 19th Century (Umjetnost kod Hrvata u XIX. stoljeću), Zagreb 1934 Under Italian Skies (Pod italskim nebom), Zagreb 1937 Croatian Art (Umjetnost kod Hrvata) (SD, I), Zagreb 1943 Masters of the Renaissance (Majstori preporoda) (SD, II), Zagreb 1943 Colour and Harmony (Boja i sklad), Zagreb 1943 Art Forms (Oblici umieća), I. knj. (SD, III), Zagreb 1944 The Golden Age of Spanish Painting (Zlatni viek španjolskog slikarstva) (SD, IV), Zagreb 1944 Honoré Daumier, Zagreb 1951 French Painting of the 19th Century (Francusko slikarstvo XIX. stoljeća), Zagreb 1953 Between Two Worlds (Između dva svijeta), Zagreb 1955 Izabrana djela (s C. Fiskovićem), Zagreb 1985

Further reading Miroslav Krleža, Slikar Ljubo Babić, Vjesnik, Zagreb, 21 (1960) Matko Peić, Predgovor (u katalogu retrospektivne izložbe Ljubo Babić), Zagreb 1960 Igor Zidić, Ljubo Babić. Sentimentalni portret, Hrvatski tjednik, Zagreb, 1 (1971), 1, str. 18 Igor Zidić, Slikari čistog oka – neke težnje u hrvatskom slikarstvu četvrtog desetljeća (u katalogu izložbe Četvrta decenija – Ekspresionizam boje / Poetski realizam), MSU, Beograd 1971, str. 37-51 Zdenko Tonković, Kazališni scenograf Ljubo Babić, Prolog, Zagreb, 6 (1974), 21, str. 75-92 Zlatko Posavac, Teorija umjetnosti slikara Ljube Babića. Prikaz i pokušaj interpretacije, Forum, Zagreb, 14 (1975), 29, str. 83-101 Jelena Uskoković, Prikaz djela Ljube Babića (u katalogu slikareve retrospektive), MG, Zagreb 1975, str.V.-XIX Vladimir Maleković, Grupa trojice, Aspekti hrvatske likovne umjetnosti 1930-1935 (u katalogu izložbe), UP, Zagreb 1976, str. 5-27 Radovan Ivančević, Ljubo Babić. S puta po Španjolskoj / Notes from a Journey through Spain, GZH & NSB, Zagreb 1990 José Luis Morales y Marin, Tres maestros de la Pintura Croata (Catálogo de la esposición »Grupo de los tres«, Madrid 1994/1995, o. 21-24 Tonko Maroević, La etapa Espańola de la Obra de Ljubo Babić, ibid., p. 53-56 Igor Zidić, Ljubo Babić u svjetlu nekih političkih kontroverzija (u katalogu izložbe), TDR, Rovinj 2003, str.…Citește mai mult