Stjepan Vecenaj (Croatian, born 1928). . Man Fishing . 1968. Reverse oil on glass. Signed and dated to the lower...

Description

Stjepan Vecenaj (Croatian, born 1928)

Man Fishing
1968
Reverse oil on glass
Signed and dated to the lower right: S. Vecenaj. 1968
16 x 15 inches (40.6 x 38.1 cm)

Stjepan Vecenaj, a Croatian artist of the Hlebine School of talented artists that took folk art and painting on glass to its highest levels, was born in Gola, Croatia in 1928. Like his contemporaries, he was a 'peasant painter' who depicted scenes of everyday life in the villages and countryside of this romantic and beautiful region near the Adriatic Sea.

In Man Fishing, Vecenaj colorfully and comically portrays a peasant trying his luck at the local fishing hole, catching him in a moment of surprise that his pole and line are violently being tugged by whatever lurks under the calm pond. Vecenaj's use of vibrant colors in the shading of the cattails in the foreground, the flowers of the lily pads and the golden rushes that he provides as the backdrop for the picture give way to the subtle shimmering water and sky where he can best make use of the oil on glass effect. The minute details of the man's face, the worm jar at his side and the white stringer looped around the post at his feet tell the viewer that this peasant has had some success this day. Through the anguished expression Vecenaj paints as gray lines on the man's face, one may suspect that the man has a surprise in store when he pulls back on his fishing pole. This is one of Vecenaj's best works, a light-hearted introspective into the people he so well portrays in oil on glass. In a beveled and matted frame, the work is in excellent condition.

Provenance:
Jaro Galleries, New York (1978)

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