Name: | Matija Skurjeni |
Occupation: | Painter |
Gender: | Male |
Birth Day: | September 14, 1898 |
Death Date: | Oct 4, 1990 (age 92) |
Age: | Aged 92 |
Country: | Croatia |
Zodiac Sign: | Virgo |
Matija Skurjeni
Trivia
Does Matija Skurjeni Dead or Alive?
As per our current Database, Matija Skurjeni died on Oct 4, 1990 (age 92).
Physique
Height | Weight | Hair Colour | Eye Colour | Blood Type | Tattoo(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Before Fame
He fought in World War I on both the Russian and Italian fronts. He was wounded at Castel Tessino one year into his service and later contracted malaria.
Biography
Biography Timeline
Skurjeni was born on September 14, 1898 in Veternica, Croatia. While he was a still a boy, his father, who worked as a carpenter, died in an accident while felling a tree. As one of eight children, Skurjeni was forced to quit school at the age of seven to work as a shepherd in Veternica. He learned to read and write from his older siblings. At the age of twelve, Skurjeni found work building the Karlovac railways, but soon apprenticed a painter in Metlika. At the age of eighteen, Skurjeni served as a soldier in World War I on the Russian and Italian fronts. After one year of service, he was wounded at Castel Tessino. He served once more as a soldier from 1921 until 1922 when he contracted malaria. After serving in the army, Skurjeni worked as a miner on his land near Golubovec, but preferred his more artistic occupations. He therefore finished his apprenticeship in Metlika and moved to Zagreb, where he worked with the painters “Broz-Gubec-Zakošek.” In 1928, he was hired at the State Railways in Zagreb’s workshop where he worked until retiring in 1956. In 1964, Skurjeni helped found the Association of Independent Naïve Artists of Croatia.
In 1924, Skurjeni commenced copying oleographs, making drawings on packing paper and coloring it with wall paint. These oleographs primarily contained religious images. At this time, Skurjeni was still considered a craftsman rather than a professional painter. In 1945, Skurjeni joined a Workers’ Cultural Society headed by Vinko Jeđut that hosted evening courses funded by its instructors. The classes, which lasted until 1949, sought to instruct individuals about formal artistic techniques and initiate artists to the socialist realist movement. Skurjeni’s paintings from this time period certainly reflect the movement, including figures with a more regular and proportionate anatomy, such as oval shaped heads. The Cultural-Educational Societies of Zagreb’s art sections considered Skurjeni’s art too primitive, however, and it was never exhibited in their shows in the 1950s.
The Belgrade Exhibition Pavilion opened the first exhibit of Yugoslav naïve artists in 1957 in which Skurjeni’s work “Zaprešićka rampa” (Zaprešić Ramp) appeared, thus launching him into the realm of professional artists. Skurjeni began to receive international recognition as he exhibited with Vinko Jeđut and other Yugoslav Railways employees. During the next several years Skurjeni forged a strong relationship with the Zagreb Gallery of Primitive Art and its director Dr. Mića Bašičević with whom he often collaborated.
From 1958, Skurjeni’s style distinguished itself from other naïve painters through his paradigmatic work. In the early 1960s, Skurjeni associated with the avant-garde artists of Zagreb who called themselves the Gorgon. He participated in their first exhibition entitled “Salon G” and then continued to use the Gorgon motif throughout his career, including pieces such as: “Gorgon,” “In the Honor of the Gorgon,” and “The Gorgon Castle.” However, while associated with several avant-garde artists, Skurjeni’s style never conformed to the movement.
Skurjeni exhibited independently in Zagreb in 1958 and 1962, Belgrade and Novi Sad in 1959, Split in 1961 and Paris in 1962, Cologne in 1963, Zurich 1928, Frankfurt 1973, retrospective in Zlatar 1973, Milan 1978, Zapresic 1983 and 1987, Zagreb 1998, Zapresic 1998. He also received positive recognition in group exhibitions in Poland, South America, Italy, Sweden, Hungary and Germany, the United States. Skurjeni’s work is housed in room five of the Croatian Museum of Naïve Art, where his pieces on display include, Roaming Athletes, 1960; Soccer Players, 1961; and My Homeland, 1960.
Skurjeni fell ill in 1975 and ceased painting. In 1984, he gave some of his paintings and sketches to the municipality of Zaprešić, building the foundation of the Matija Skurjeni Gallery. He died in Zaprešić on October 4, 1990.
The first written plans for the Matija Skurjeni Gallery appeared on July 2, 1984, when Skurjeni and his collaborator Milka Kobešćak discussed donating several of his works to the municipality of Zaprešić. The Palace in Zaprešić opened the Matija Skurjeni Gallery July 15, 1987, proclaiming him an honorary citizen the same year. Up until 2000 the Gallery remained a part of the Brdovec Museum when, on November 20, the Minister of Culture announced the transition from the Matija Skurjeni Gallery to the Matija Skurjeni Museum after Kobešćak bequeathed upon her death her own collection of Skurjeni’s works to the city of Zaprešić and the Skurjeni Gallery, leading the city to demand a more permanent exhibition space.
🎂 Upcoming Birthday
Currently, Matija Skurjeni is 122 years, 7 months and 27 days old. Matija Skurjeni will celebrate 123rd birthday on a Tuesday 14th of September 2021.
Find out about Matija Skurjeni birthday activities in timeline view here.
Matija Skurjeni trends
trends.embed.renderExploreWidget(“TIMESERIES”, {“comparisonItem”:[{“keyword”:”Matija Skurjeni”,”geo”:””,”time”:”today 12-m”}],”category”:0,”property”:””}, {“exploreQuery”:”q=Matija Skurjeni&date=today 12-m”,”guestPath”:”https://trends.google.com:443/trends/embed/”});
FAQs
- Who is Matija Skurjeni
? - How rich is Matija Skurjeni
? - What is Matija Skurjeni
‘s salary? - When is Matija Skurjeni
‘s birthday? - When and how did Matija Skurjeni
became famous? - How tall is Matija Skurjeni
? - Who is Matija Skurjeni
‘s girlfriend? - List of Matija Skurjeni
‘s family members? - Why do people love Matija Skurjeni?