“In Honor of the Soviet Avantgarde” Elementary Painting in Yugoslavia 1960–1975 and the Renewal of Suprematism
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Journal of Avant-Garde Studies |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | https://brill.com/view/journals/jags/aop/article-10.1163-25896377-bja10012/article-10.1163-25896377-bja10012.xml?srsltid=AfmBOopq3PPoMT_fQK_-Hym8FIx4HRrpMctpKtJQ2wwGY43Uzl08Rc3t |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/25896377-bja10012 |
| Keywords | neo-avant-garde; new artistic practice; painting; Yugoslavia; Suprematism |
| Description | From 1970 until the end of that decade, a series of exhibitions in Yugoslavia was dedicated to a phenomenon called “elementary” or “primary” painting. The works featured in these shows were abstract, often monochromatic, and objectlike. In their comments about their works, the artists—among them Julije Knifer, Raša Todosijević, and Radomir Damnjanović Damnjan—described their approach as an utter reduction. This art would only acknowledge the reality of its physical and spiritual substance. They also laid bare the genealogy in which they inscribed themselves, indicating their affinity for artists such as Kazimir Malevich and El Lissitzky. This article asks why Suprematism provided such an attractive theoretical and artistic model for young Yugoslav artists of the 1960s and 1970s and how this specific choice can be interpreted as an aesthetic and political gesture. |
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