j o s i p r e s t e k

k r a j o l i k-

o d f o r m e d o e n f o r m e l a

l a n d s c a p e -

from form to art informel

k u l a l o t r š č a k

0 9 – 2 0 / 0 5 / 2 0 1 5

Katalog / Catalogue

Nakladnik / PublisherGalerija Klovićevi dvori Klovićevi Dvori Gallery

Za nakladnika / For the PublisherJasmina Bavoljak

Urednica / EditorPetra Vugrinec

Dizajn / DesignHamper studio

Tekst / TextPetra Vugrinec

Fotografije / PhotographsDarko Bavoljak

Lektura / ProofreadingBoris Rozga

Tisak / PrintStega tisak d.o.o.

Naklada / Print run300 primjeraka / copies

isbn 978-953-271-087-8

cip zapis je dostupan u računalnome katalogu Nacionalne i sveučilišne knjižnice u Zagrebu pod brojem 000905734.

j o s i p r e s t e kk r a j o l i k / l a n d s c a p e

Od forme do enformela / From Form to Art Informel

josip restek 1915. - 1987.krajolik - Od forme do enformelaIzložba u povodu stogodišnjice rođenja slikara, grafičara i restauratora Josipa Resteka

josip restek 1915 – 1987landscape - From Form to Art InformelExhibition on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of birth of painter, printmaker and conservator Josip Restek

Izložba / Exhibition

Galerija Klovićevi dvori Kula Lotrščak, Strossmayerovo šetalište 9, Zagreb, Hrvatska / Croatia9. – 20. svibnja 2015. Klovićevi Dvori GalleryLotrščak TowerMay 9 – 20, 2015

Autorica izložbe / Exhibition authorPetra Vugrinec

Tehnička realizacija izložbe Technical setup of the exhibitionTehnička služba Galerije Klovićevi dvori Technical Department of the Klovićevi Dvori Gallery

Galerija Klovićevi dvori posebnu zahvalnost duguje gospođi Blanki Restek na donaciji umjetnikovih djela Gradu Zagrebu koju pohranjuje, te zahvaljujući kojoj možemo prirediti izložbu. Zahvalnost dugujemo i umjetnikovoj nećakinji dr. sc. Ivani Đurinović Bello na svesrdnom zalaganju i pomoći u pripremi izložbe te obilježavanju obljetnice.Izložba je ostvarena zahvaljujući novčanoj potpori Ministarstva kulture rh i Gradskog ureda za obrazovanje, kulturu i sport Grada Zagreba.

Klovićevi Dvori Gallery owes special gratitude to Mrs. Blanka Restek for having donated the artist's works to the City of Zagreb, which are stored at the Gallery and thanks to which we were able to organise the exhibition. We also owe our gratitude to the artist's niece, dr.sc. Ivana Đurinović Bello, for her fervent advocacy and help in preparing the exhibition and celebrating the anniversary.The exhibition is organised with financial support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia and the Zagreb City Office for Education, Culture and Sports.

04 05josip restek / krajolik josip restek / krajolik

spresionističke morfološke intervencije u pejzažu, pa sve do lirske apstrakcije, kada motivikom napušta ovozemaljske i ovovremenske teme apstrahirajući pojavnost do kozmičkih vizija. Restekov opus odražava i dominantne ten-dencije hrvatske grafičke umjetnosti druge polovice xx. stoljeća. Majstorsko poznavanje grafičkih tehnika u varijantama visokog, dubokog i plošnog tiska te njegovo kontinuirano propitivanje novih tehnologija izvedbe, posebice u zahtjevnoj juvigravuri, zatim brojne nagrade i priznanja što ih je za rad u grafičkome mediju primio čine donaciju višestruko značajnom ne samo za povjesničare umjetnosti i likovne kritičare nego i za umjetnike, posebice studente kojima može poslužiti kao riznica za buduće umjetničke okušaje.

S obzirom na prigodničarski ton teksta i odabranu temu krajolika, koja bi trebala predstaviti ono najbolje od Restekova umjetničkog doprinosa, usu-đujem se zadrijeti dublje u povijesnu paradigmu te potkrijepiti prethodnu kvalifikaciju teme kao iznimno važne preokupacije domaćega slikarstva. Ako krenemo put prošloga, pa i pretposljednjega stoljeća, krajolik se otvara zaista kao velika tema koja je hrvatsku likovnu umjetnost pripojila europskoj. Upi-remo li se u značajnu liniju mediteranskog krajolika Bukovčeva plenerizma, Medovićeva i Vidovićeva impresionizma i simbolističkoga krajolika te nasta-vimo sjevernjačkim predjelima zagrebačke polikromije Ivekovića, Kovačevića i Crnčića, lako ćemo doći do zaključka da je krajolik možda i najznačajniji, ali i najsloženiji tematski sloj hrvatskog modernog slikarstva. Nabrojivši samo najveća imena opet u dihotomiji juga i sjevera, ne smijemo izostaviti Joba ili Mišea, a pogotovo njihova sjevernjačkoga suvremenika Ljubu Babića. Posljednji je bio i Restekov profesor na Akademiji likovnih umjetnosti u Zagrebu. Autoritarna Babićeva osobnost, posebice njegovo krajobrazno sli-karstvo uvelike su ostavili traga na Restekovu promišljanju pejzaža. Babićevo promatranje krajolika iz ptičje perspektive te struktura njegovih zagorskih brežuljaka u rasteru njiva i oranica odjekuju i na Restekovim djelima (vidi: kat. br. 9, 20, 22). Njegove Gorice iz šezdesetih tema su kojoj se vraća i pred sam kraj života. Kao da zaokružuje put odajući počast velikom prethodniku i njegovim slikama Rodnoga kraja, Protuletja (nad Goricam). Restek je sve razumio, svu slojevitost teme, svu širinu dijapazona pejzažnog slikarstva oprobavajući se i u formalnim (kat. 9, 13, 19, 20) i u sadržajnim aspektima teme (kat. 10, 11, 14, 15, 16). Krajolik kao struktura, mentalna organizacija, mapiranje sjećanja, kao praiskonska forma, kao arhetipska slika. Resteku je krajolik platforma kojom od materije i organskoga kreće prema duhovnom i metafizičkom. Zidić je pionirski anticipirao kompletnu interpretativnu liniju pejzažnog slikarstva od šezdesetih naovamo tekstom Granica i obostrano ili reduciranje predmetnih oznaka i determiniranje pojavnog ishodišta3, ustvrdivši

Umjetniku u čast

Proslov u povodu stogodišnjice umjetnikova rođenja

Kako bismo dostojno obilježili stotu obljetnicu rođenja slikara, grafičara i restauratora Josipa Resteka, umjetnika čija se djela čuvaju u Galeriji Klovićevi dvori, priredili smo interpretacijsku izložbu grafika pod nazivom Krajolik – Od forme do enformela. Izložbom se neće predstaviti Restekov opus u cijelosti

– kao 1985. godine u Muzeju za umjetnost i obrt u Zagrebu1, 2003. u Galeriji Vjekoslav Karas u Karlovcu i Galeriji Klovićevi dvori2 – nego ćemo pokušati izdvajanjem samo jednog tematskog dijela naglasiti ono što nam se čini, više od četvrt stoljeća nakon umjetnikove smrti, aktualnim i bitnim. U ne odveć selektivnom, već više intuitivnom izboru, koji je dakako prilagođen i prostoru kule Lotrščak, pratit ćemo Restekovu intimnu evoluciju stilskog izričaja – od forme do enformela – koja je najvidljivija upravo u krajolicima, “toj opsesiv-noj temi hrvatskoga slikarstva”, kako je naziva dr. Ivanka Reberski u tekstu Alternativni krajolici, 50-e i 60-e (str.12) istoimene izložbe koja je održana u Umjetničkom paviljonu 2009. Iako nam izložba i tekst daju inspirativan poticaj za proučavanje Restekova krajobraznog slikarstva, njegova se djela nisu našla u selekciji. Njegovi suvremenici – Prica, Gliha, Murtić, Petlevski, Kinert, Perić pa i Dulčić ili Mila Kumbatović – svjedoče o postojanju jedne suptilne sintagme rubnoga krajolika čijemu nizu pripada i Restek. Donacija Gradu Zagrebu od 410 umjetničkih djela, koja je zahvaljujući umjetnikovoj supruzi Blanki Restek te zalaganju povjesničarke umjetnosti Biserke Rauter Plančić darovana Zagrebu i smještena u Galeriji Klovićevi dvori, omogućava nam praćenje Restekova stilskog razvoja od samih po-četaka četrdesetih godina prošloga stoljeća do djela koja su nastala krajem stvaralačkoga puta: od konkretnog slikarstva i figurativnog realizma, kada je umjetnik svoj put tražio inspirirajući se nacionalnim folklorom, temama iz vlastita okruženja rodnoga Volavja i jaskanskoga kraja, ali i motivima sa studijskih putovanja po Italiji i Francuskoj, preko oslobađanja forme kroz ek-

1 Predgovor: Tomislav Lalin

2Koncepcija izložbe:

Biserka Rauter Plančić, autorice tekstova:

Biserka Rauter Plančić i Antonija Družak

06 07josip restek / krajolik josip restek / krajolik

modama odlike su koje krase njegovo stvaralaštvo. Restekov opus odiše ljudskom mjerom, rijetko postignutim skladom i mirom. Njegova je dos- ljednost mimezis, a stvaranje i traganje kontinuitet koji se očituje u zavidnom majstorstvu grafičkoga promišljanja. Opus Josipa Resteka, kao i mnogih njegovih suvremenika, primjerice Rudolfa Sablića, nema nekih senzacija za koje se kritika može “uhvatiti”; on je jednostavno intimno svjedočanstvo jednoga umjetničkog trajanja u razdoblju bučnih eksperimenata postmodernizama. Tek u novije vrijeme, na interpretacijskoj razini otkrivaju se skrivene vrijednosti toga “tihoga um-jetničkog stvaralaštva” koje upotpunjuje tijekove likovne umjetnosti druge polovice 20. stoljeća dajući joj ljudsku mjeru. Poravnavajući klatno s često nedokučive razine kompleksne slikarske apstrakcije na razinu shvatljivog i poznatog, Restekov je opus utočište običnom modernom čovjeku. Danas se razotkrivaju neke nove vrijednosti, osobne nostalgije u požutjelom koloritu polaroida objektivnog shvaćanja. Ne bismo ih trebali olako interpretirati niti ih odbacivati u kutiju ništa nova, jer već spomenuti elitizam upravo traži iznalaženje nevidljivih vrijednosti, onih koje odjekuju jedinstvenim asoci-jacijama koje su samo oni koji zaista traže zaslužili i pronaći… Bit će takvih prigoda za Resteka još, jer sva polivalentnost njegova opusa, u rasponu od tradicijskih motiva, portreta, ciklusa djece, susjeda, nadrealističkih sadržajnih prosedea, zasigurno će dobiti priliku za novi pogled. Cilj je dakako nakon retrospektivnih valorizacijskih izložbi uvrstiti Resteka u modernističke tije-kove kojima se bave izložbe i monografije, a u kojima ga se dosad, na žalost, često izostavljalo.

da su “pejzažisti utrli pute astratizmu” (str. 83), a baš se taj zaključak očituje u Restekovu pejzažnom nadrealizmu. Na toj će liniji općenito nastati “likovne metafore jedinstvenih stilskih domašaja”4 – Gliha, Šimunović, Dulčić, Postružnik – a sve te prepoznatljive, mogli bismo reći ikoničke strukture hrvatskog pejzažizma nastaju zahva-ljujući pogledu iz zraka. Gromače, suhozidi, Stradun s ljudima poput mrava poznajemo dakako iz zračne perspektive, takve ih već i mislimo i posvajamo. Restekovo se slikarstvo kraja razvija dosljedno. Ne jureći za senzacijama, za inovativnošću pod svaku cijenu, već mukotrpno, shvaćanjem i apsolviranjem iz stupnja u stupanj. U Zbirci Restekovih djela nalaze se brojne vedute sa slikarovih putovanja, pejzaži rodnoga kraja: Sveta Jana, Sa Korane, Uz more, Lošinj, Baška, ali i Krf, Pariz, vedute Venecije, pa opet Volavje, Šljivik, Marina… Put od realizma prema redukciji i apstrakciji ne možemo pratiti kronološki, jer se već 1960. godine monotipija Mjesečina predstavlja u apstraktnim zvon-kim formama nalik muzičkoj kompoziciji. Tendencije prikazivanja krajolika, ali i elemenata koji asociraju prostor kroz organičke tvorbe pojavljuju se u drugoj polovici 60-ih godina. Sedamdesetih godina Restek na svojstven način amalgamira jasan i rasko-šan kolorit tradicijske kulture i konfiguraciju domaćeg pejzaža (kat. br. 19,21). Rezultat je svojevrsna arhetipska evokacija rodnoga kraja.Ranih sedamdesetih Restekov je grafički list postao reljef, kako je točno uo-čila autorica Restekove retrospektive Biserka Rauter Plančić. Restek gotovo probija granice dubokoga tiska ostvarujući graničnu tvorevinu čija se drama odvija između grafičke dvodimenzionalnosti i trodimenzionalnosti objekta (kat. 15). On ”dubi, reže, razgrađuje ploču do ekspresivne i volumizirane modelacije grafičkog lista, do opipljivog praska”.5

Kao vrhunski poznavatelj dijapazona grafičkih izražajnih mogućnosti, a istodobno i métierski “naoružan” progovara jednakim modernizmom koji je u hrvatskoj povijesti umjetnosti dakako uočljiviji u uljnom, popularno-štafe-lajnom slikarstvu. U omalenoj, ali značajnoj knjižici almanahu Apstraktna umjetnost u Hrvatskoj autora Zdenka Rusa iz 1985. godine Restek je skromno, ali značajno kao posljednje ime u tekstu uvršten u veliki niz lirskog enfor-melizma: Gattin, Perić, Kulmer, Seder, Petlevski, Jevšovar, Murtić, pa i Restek

“u svojim grafičkim listovima (pa i u nekim uljima) posve zaogrće figuralne tragove intenzivnim apstraktnim grafizmima” (str. 30). Biserka Rauter Plančić na kraju teksta lijepo zaključuje da je Restek “jedan od najelitnijih hrvatskih modernističkih grafičara” (str.7), a prema mojemu mišljenju epitet elitizma jednako potkrepljuje “moralna ljepota” (Biserka Rauter Plančić, str. 6) umjetnikova stvaranja i življenja. Skromnost i istinsko uživanje u umjetničkom stvaralaštvu bez želje za podilaženjem časovitim

3Tri teme iz suvremene

hrvatske umjetnosti, Zagreb / Dubrovnik, 1973.

4 Ivanka Reberski,

Alternativni krajolici, 50-e i 60-e, katalog izložbe,

Umjetnički paviljon, Zagreb, 2009., str.12

5 Biserka Rauter Plančić,

Josip Restek, katalog izložbe Galerija Klovićevi

dvori, 2003., str.6.

08 09josip restek / krajolik josip restek / krajolik

In honour of the author

Preface on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the artist’s passing accompanying the exhibition Krajolik – Od forme do enformela / Landscape – From Form to Art Informel

In order to fittingly mark the 100th anniversary of birth of painter, printmaker and conservator Josip Restek, artist whose works are stored at the Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, we organised the interpretational exhibition of prints titled Landscape – from Form to Art Informel. The exhibition will not present Restek’s complete oeuvre – as was the case in 1985 at the Museum of Arts and Crafts in Zagreb,1 in 2003 at the Vjekoslav Karas Gallery in Karlovac, and the Klovićevi Dvori Gallery2 – but rather we will seek to point out the instances we feel are topical and significant more than a quarter of a century after the artist’s death by extricating a single thematic segment. In a selection that is more intuitive than selective and is, of course, adapted to the space of the Lotrščak Tower, we will follow Restek’s intimate evolution of stylistic expression – from form to Art Infomel – which is most evident precisely in landscapes, “the obsessive subject of Croatian fine art,” as stated by Ivanka Reberski in the text Alternativni krajolici, 50-e i 60-e / Alternative Landscapes, 1950 and 1960s (p.12) accompanying the eponymous exhibition held at the Art Pavilion in 2009. Although the exhibition and text provide us with an inspiring stimulus for studying Restek’s landscape painting, his works have not been selected. His contemporaries – Prica, Gliha, Murtić, Petlevski, Kinert, Perić, and even Dulčić or Mila Kumbatović – testify on the existence of a subtle syntagm of marginal landscape, part of the series of which is also Restek. The donation to the City of Zagreb of 410 works of art, which was donated to Zagreb and stored at the Klovićevi Dvori Gallery thanks to the artist’s wife Blanka Restek and the advocacy of art historian Biserka Rauter Plančić, enables us to follow Restek’s stylistic development from early 1940s to works that were created at the end of the artistic path: from realistically-transferred motifs and figurative realism, when the artist sought his path by finding inspiration in national folklore, subjects from own surroundings of his native Volavje and the Jaska region, but also in motifs from study visits to Italy and France, to the liberation of form through expressionist

1 Preface: Tomislav Lalin

2Exhibition concept: Biserka Rauter Plančić, authors of texts: Biserka Rauter Plančić and Antonija Družak

Životopis

Josip Restek rođen je 7. ožujka 1915. godine u Volavju kraj Jastrebarskog. Go-dine 1940. diplomirao je slikarstvo, a godinu nakon toga kod profesora Artura Schneidera, Grge Novaka, Viktora Hoffillera završava i studij povijesti um-jetnosti na Filozofskom fakultetu u Zagrebu. Završivši specijalku za grafiku kod profesora Tomislava Krizmana 1941. godine, počinje se intenzivnije baviti grafičkim oblikovanjem. Od 1950. do 1973. radi na Školi za primijenjenu umjetnost u Zagrebu, u početku na studiju slikarskih tehnika, a zatim na grafičkom odsjeku. Tijekom pedesetih godina sa suprugom Blankom svake godine u ljetno doba putuje u Pariz, gdje se uzdržavaju povremenim poslo-vima te u društvu Slavka Kopača posjećuju galerije i muzeje. Od pedesetih godina prošlog stoljeća redovito izlaže na skupnim i samostalnim izložbama. Sedamdesetih je godina bio više puta nagrađen: godine 1970. Accademia internationale Tommaso Campanella imenuje ga za člana ”honoris causa” s diplomom i srebrenom medaljom, na VI. i VII. ličkim analima u Gospiću do-biva plakete za grafiku, godine 1972. odlikovan je Ordenom rada sa srebrenom zvijezdom, godine 1979. otkupnom nagradom na IV. izložbi jugoslavenskog portreta u Tuzli, 1980. Accademia Italia delle Arte e Lavori imenuje ga aka-demikom i 1982. godine Zlatnom medaljom Accademie Italia delle Arte e del Lavoro u Salsomaggiore Terme. Od 1973. do umirovljenja 1982. godine djeluje kao profesor na Višoj grafičkoj školi u Zagrebu, predaje grafičko oblikovanje i likovno-grafičku kulturu te za potrebe nastave objavljuje udžbenik Osnove grafičkog dizajna (1975), u kojem sabire grafičke elemente i njihov vizualni doživljaj i Tabelarni pregled likovno-grafičke kulture (1976.). Godine 1978. u rodnoj kući u Volavju organizira stalnu izložbu slika i grafika Josipa Resteka. Sredinom osamdesetih priprema prvu retrospektivnu izložbu, koja je bila postavljena u Muzeju za umjetnost i obrt u Zagrebu od 5. do 31. ožujka 1985. godine. Umro je u Zagrebu 13. svibnja 1987.

10 11josip restek / krajolik josip restek / krajolik

3Tri teme iz suvremene hrvatske umjetnosti, Zagreb / Dubrovnik, 1973

4Ivanka Reberski, “Alternativni krajolici, 50-e i 60-e,” exhibition catalogue, Art Pavilion, Zagreb, 2009, p.12

5Biserka Rauter Plančić, Josip Restek, exhibition catalogue, Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, 2003, p. 6

morphological interventions in landscape and, ultimately, lyrical abstraction when he used motifs to abandon subjects from present time and place, thus abstracting occurrences to an extent of cosmic visions. Restek’s oeuvre also reflects the dominant tendencies of Croatian graphic art of the second half of the 20th century. The masterful insight into printmaking techniques in the techniques of high, deep and flat print, and his consistent examination of new implementation technologies, especially of the more-challenging technique of etching, the numerous awards and recognitions received for his work in the graphic medium all make the donation multifariously significant not only for art historians and critics, but also for the artists, and especially students to whom it can serve as a treasury for future artistic endeavours. Considering the celebratory tone of the text and the chosen subject of landscape, which ought to present the best instances of Restek’s artistic contribution, I dare to penetrate more deeply into the historical paradigm so as to substantiate the aforementioned qualification of the subject as an exceptionally important preoccupation of domestic painting. If we step on the path of the last century and even the one before last, the landscape opens up as a truly large subject that merged Croatian and European fine art. If we follow the significant line of the Mediterranean landscape of Bukovac’s pleinairism, the impressionism and symbolist landscape of Medović and Vidović, and continue through the northern regions of Zagrebian polychromy of Iveković, Kovačević and Crnčić, we can easily conclude that the landscape may be the most significant, but also the most complex thematic layer of modern painting. In listing the most renowned names in the dichotomy of south and north, we should not omit Job or Miše, and especially their northern contemporary Ljubo Babić. The latter was also Restek’s professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. Babić’s authoritarian personality and especially his landscape painting left a significant mark on Rastek’s deliberation of landscape. Babić’s bird’s-eye view on the landscape and the structure of his Zagorje hills in a raster of fields and ploughed land also resonate in Restek’s works (see: cat. no. 9, 20, 22). His work Gorice from the 1960s remained a subject to which he also returned near the end of his life. It was as if he completed the circle by paying tribute to the great predecessor and his paintings Rodni kraj / Native Region, Protuletje (nad Goricam) / Spring (over Gorice). Rastek understood everything, the multifariousness of the subject, the broadness of range of landscape painting, by trying his hand at both formal (cat. 9, 13, 19, 20) and contentual aspects of the subject (cat. 10, 11, 14, 15, 16). Landscape as structure, mental organisation, mapping of memory, as a primordial form, as archetypal image. To Rastek, landscape is a platform on which he moves from material and organic towards spiritual and metaphysical. Zidić’s pioneering anticipation

of the overall interpretative line of landscape painting from the 1960s to the present day is found in the text Granica i obostrano ili reduciranje predmetnih oznaka i determiniranje pojavnog ishodišta / The Boundary and the Both-Sided or Reduction of Objectual Labels and Defining the Origin of Occurrence,3 in which he stated that “landscape artists paved the way to astratism” (p. 83), and exactly this conclusion manifests itself in Restek’s landscape surrealism.The “art metaphors of unique stylistic achievements”4 – Gliha, Šimunović, Dulčić, Postružnik – also generally occurred on said line; all of these recognisable, one could even say iconic structures of Croatian landscapism were created by virtue of aerial view. Stone walls, drywalls, Stradun Street with people resembling ants are, of course, recognisable from aerial perspective, from which we imagine and appropriate them. Restek’s painting of scenery develops consistently. Sans chasing sensation, innovation at any cost, but rather arduously, by comprehending and mastering one level at a time. In the Collection of Restek’s works, one can find numerous panoramas from his journeys, landscapes of the native region: Sveta Jana, Sa Korane / From Korana, Uz more / By the Sea, Lošinj, Baška, but also Corfu, Paris, panoramas of Venice, and then back to Volavje, Šljivik, Marina… The path from realism towards reduction and abstraction cannot be traced chronologically, since already in 1960 the monotype Mjesečina / Moonlight presented itself in abstract, echoing forms resembling a musical composition. The tendencies to depict scenery, but also elements that are associated with space through organic formations, gained shape in the second half of the 1960s.In the 1970s, Restek amalgamated clear, lavish handling of colour of traditional culture and the configuration of domestic landscape in a characteristic manner (cat. no. 19, 21). In the early 1970s, Restek’s print sheet became a relief, as was accurately observed by the author of Restek’s retrospective exhibition Biserka Rauter Plančić. It is almost as if he penetrates the boundaries of deep print by creating a borderline formation, the drama of which arises between the two-dimensionality of the print and the three-dimensionality of the object (cat. 15). He “carves, cuts, decomposes the plate to an expressive and voluminous modelation of the print sheet, to a tangible burst.”5

Being an unmatched expert for the expressive possibilities of printing and, simultaneously, “armed” with expertise, he manifested equal modernism that was, naturally, more evident in the then-popular oil painting on easel. In the petite, but nevertheless significant almanac booklet Apstraktna umjetnost u Hrvatskoj / Abstract Art in Croatia by Zdenko Rus from 1985, Restek was included indicatively, albeit modestly as the last name in the great sequence of lyrical informelism: Gattin, Perić, Kulmer, Seder, Petlevski, Jevšovar, Murtić and

12 13josip restek / krajolik josip restek / krajolik

even Restek “who completely conceals the figural traces with intense abstract graphisms in his print sheets (and even in certain oil paintings).” (p. 30) Biserka Rauter Plančić neatly concludes that Restek is “one of Croatia’s most elite modernist printmakers,” (p. 7) and I personally believe that the epithet of elitism is equally supported by the “moral beauty” (Biserka Rauter Plančić, p. 6) of the artist’s production and life. His artistic work is adorned with modesty and genuine delight in the artistic production sans the desire to pander to transient modes. Restek’s oeuvre exudes a human criterion, a seldom achieved harmony and tranquillity. His consistency is a mimesis, and his production and pursuit a continuity that manifests itself in a rarely-observed mastery of deliberation in the realm of graphic art. The oeuvre of Josip Restek, as well as of his numerous contemporaries such as Rudolf Sablić, does not contain any sensations that might lure the critics; it simply serves as an intimate testimony of an artistic lifespan in the period of clamorous experiments of postmodernisms. It was not until recent times that the hidden values of said “silent artistic activity,” which complements the course of fine art of the second half of the 20th century by giving it a human criterion, have been revealed at the level of interpretation. By aligning the pendulum from an often inconceivable level of complex painting abstraction to a level of comprehensible and familiar, Restek’s oeuvre serves as a resort to the ordinary modern man. Certain new values, personal nostalgias in the faded colouring of the polaroid of objective conception, are exposing themselves today. We should not interpret them lightly or discard them in a box labelled nothing new, as it is exactly the aforementioned elitism that requires the finding of new values, those that echo in the unique correlations that deserve to be discovered only by those who are truly searching… There will be more such occasions for Restek, as the overall multifariousness of his oeuvre – ranging from traditional motifs, portraits, cycles of children, neighbours, of surrealist contentual procédé – will surely be given an opportunity to be seen again. Following the retrospective valorisation exhibitions, certainly the aim is to include Restek in modernist courses in which exhibitions and monographs, from which he was hitherto sadly omitted, are engaged.

Curriculum vitae

Josip Restek was born on March 7, 1915 in Volavje near Jastrebarsko. He obtained a degree in Painting in 1940, and graduated in Art History under the mentorship of Artur Schneider, Grga Novak and Viktor Hoffiller from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb in the following year. Having specialised in printmaking under the mentorship of Tomislav Krizman in 1941, he started to intensively engage in graphic design. From 1950 to 1973, he was staff member of the School of Applied Art in Zagreb, initially in the Painting Techniques study programme, and later at the Graphic Department. During the 1950s, he habitually visited Paris around summertime each year together with his wife Blanka, where they financed themselves with part-time jobs, and visited galleries and museums in the company of Slavko Kopač. He began to regularly exhibit his works at group and solo exhibitions from the 1950s. He was awarded on several occasions in the 1970s: he was named member of “honoris causa” and given a diploma and silver medal by Accademia internationale Tommaso Campanella, he received plaques for his graphic art at the 6th and 7th Annals of Lika in Gospić, he was rewarded the Work Medal with Silver Star in 1972, he was given the purchase award at the 4th Exhibition of Yugoslav Portrait in Tuzla, and was named Academic with gold medal in 1980 and Gold Medal of Accademia Italia delle Arte e del Lavoro by Accademia Italia delle Arte e Lavori in Salsomaggiore Terme in 1982. From 1973 until retirement in 1982, he was lecturer at the Graphic Art School in Zagreb, where he taught Graphic Design and Graphic Art History; for teaching purposes, he published the textbook Osnove grafičkog dizajna / Introduction to Graphic Design (1975) in which he compiled elements of graphic art and their visual perception, and Tabelarni pregled likovno-grafičke kulture / Tabular Overview of Graphic Art History (1976). In 1978, in his birth house in Volavje, he organised the Permanent Exhibition of Paintings and Prints of Josip Restek. In the mid-1980s, he prepared the first retrospective exhibition that was presented at the Museum of Arts and Crafts in Zagreb from March 5 to March 31, 1985. He died on May 13, 1987 in Zagreb.

14 15josip restek / krajolik josip restek / krajoliks1_Mjesečina / Moonlight, oko/around 1960. s2_Iskonska forma / Primordial form, 1960.

16 17josip restek / krajolik josip restek / krajoliks3_Vrata / Door, 1961. 4_Stijena / Boulder, 1961.

18 19josip restek / krajolik josip restek / krajoliks5_Znakovi / Signs, 1961. s6_Kristalni fosili / Crystal fossils, 1962.

20 21josip restek / krajolik josip restek / krajoliks7_Iluzija grada / Illusion of town, 1963. s8_Kristalizacija / Crystallisation, 1964.

22 23josip restek / krajolik josip restek / krajoliks9_Gorice, oko/around 1967. 10_Zatvoreni svijet / Closed world, 1968.

24 25josip restek / krajolik josip restek / krajoliks11_Magično stablo / Magic tree, 1968. s12_Mozaik pejzaža I / Mosaic of landscape I, 1968.

26 27josip restek / krajolik josip restek / krajoliks13_Zemlja / Earth, 1969. s14_Rast – stablo / Growth – tree, 1971.

28 29josip restek / krajolik josip restek / krajoliks15_Impresija / Impression, 1971. 16_Sjećanje / Memory, 1972.

30 31josip restek / krajolik josip restek / krajoliks17_Polja / Fields, 1973. 18_Nazubljena ploha / Serrated surface, 1976.

32 33josip restek / krajolik josip restek / krajoliks19_Duga / Rainbow, 1976. s20_Vinogradi / Vineyards, 1976.

34 35josip restek / krajolik josip restek / krajoliks21_Sunce i zemlja / Sun and Earth, 1976. s22_Polja / Fields, 1981.

36 37josip restek / krajolik josip restek / krajoliks23_Horizont u plavom / Horizon in blue, 1985. s24_Horizont u crvenom / Horizon in red, 1985.

38 39josip restek / krajolik josip restek / krajolik

Popis djela Josipa Resteka odabranih za izložbu iz Zbirke umjetničkih radova slikara, grafičara i restauratora Josipa Resteka u Galeriji Klovićevi dvori

01.Mjesečina, oko 1960.monotipija, 49 x 41 cmsign. dlk: monotyp; ds: Mjesečina; ddk: Restek Josip; Galerija Klovićevi dvori, jr-235-925

02. Iskonska forma, 1960.akvatinta, 83,5 x 54 cmsign. ddk: Restek JosipGalerija Klovićevi dvori, jr-203-875

03. Vrata, 1961.akvatinta, 75 x 33 cmsign. dlk: aquatinta (print d´artiste); dd: Vrata (Komp. 4) Restek Josip 61Galerija Klovićevi dvori, jr-204-876

04. Stijena, 1961.akvatinta, 83,5 x 28 cmsign. dlk: aquatinta comb.(print d´artist); dd: Stijena (Mur); Comp I; ddk: Restek Josip 61, Galerija Klovićevi dvori, JR-205-877

05. Znakovi, 1961.akvatinta, 39,5 x 25,8 cmsign. dlk: aquatinta; ds: “ Znakovi"; ddk: Restek Josip 61; Galerija Klovićevi dvori, jr-207-879

06. Kristalni fosili, 1962.akvatinta, 64,5 x 49,6 cmsign. dlk: print d´artist (aquatinta); dd: “Kristalni fosili”; ddk: Restek Josip 62; Galerija Klovićevi dvori, jr-210-882

07. Iluzija grada, 1963.akvatinta, 49,5 x 64,5 cmsign. dd: Iluzija grada; ddk: Restek Josip 63Galerija Klovićevi dvori, jr-212-884

08. Kristalizacija, 1964.akvatinta, 64,4 x 46 cmsign. dlk: otisak autora; ds: Kristalizacija; ddk: Restek Josip 63; Galerija Klovićevi dvori, jr-214-886

09. Gorice, oko 1967.akvarel i tuš, 46 x 33 cmsign. ddk: Restek; Galerija Klovićevi dvori, jr-75-775

10. Zatvoreni svijet, 1968.bakrorez, 56,7 x 38,5 cmsign. ds: Zatvoreni svijetGalerija Klovićevi dvori, jr-228-900

11. Magično stablo, 1968.bakrorez, 64,5 x 29 cmsign. ds: Magično stablo; ddk: Restek Josip 68Galerija Klovićevi dvori, jr-230-902

12. Mozaik pejzaža I, 1968.akvatinta, 49 x 32 cmsign. dlk: aquatinta; ds: Mozaik pejzaža I; ddk: Restek Josip 68; Galerija Klovićevi dvori, jr-231-903

13. Zemlja, 1969.lavirani tuš, 65 x 50 cmsign. dlk: Terra (Zemlja)ddk: Restek 69; Galerija Klovićevi dvori, jr-81-771

14. Rast – stablo, 1971.akvarel, 70 x 50 cmsign. dlk: Rast (Stablo)ddk: Restek Josip 71Galerija Klovićevi dvori, jr-92-792

15. Impresija, 1971.linogravura, 59 x 44 cmsign.dlk: linogravura (Epreuve d´artiste 4/5); ds: Impresija; ddk: Restek Josip 71; Galerija Klovićevi dvori, jr-265-937

16. Sjećanje, 1972.linorez, 58,5 x 44,5 cmsign. dlk: linogravura (otisak autora); ds: Sjećanje; ddk: Restek Josip 72; Galerija Klovićevi dvori, jr-234-906

17. Polja, 1973.linorez, 57,5 x 47 cmsign. dlk: linogravura 4/10; ds: Polje; ddk: Restek Josip 73

18. Nazubljena ploha, 1976.akvatinta, 73,5 x 33 cmsign. dlk. aquatinta (print d´artiste); ds: (zahn – fläche) Ploha sa zupcima; ddk: Restek Josip 76; Galerija Klovićevi dvori, jr-246-918

19. Duga, 1976.akvarel i tuš, 71 x 50 cmsign. dlk: Dugaddk: Restek Josip 76Galerija Klovićevi dvori, jr-109 - 809

20. Vinogradi, 1976.akvarel i tuš, 71 x 50 cmsign. dlk: Vinogradiddk: Restek Josip 76Galerija Klovićevi dvori, jr-110-810

21. Sunce i zemlja, 1976.akvarel i tuš, 71 x 50 cmsign. dlk: Sunce i zemljaddk: Restek Josip 76Galerija Klovićevi dvori, jr-111-811

22. Polja, 1981.akvarel i tuš, 71 x 50, 3 cmsign. dlk: Polja; ddk: Restek 81; Galerija Klovićevi dvori, jr-121-821

23. Horizont u plavom, 1985.akvarel, tuš, 74,5 x 64,8 cmsign. dlk: Horizont u plavom; ddk: Restek Josip 85Galerija Klovićevi dvori, jr-123-823

24. Horizont u crvenom, 1985.akvarel, tuš, 74,5 x 64,8 cmsign. dlk: Horizont u crvenom; ddk: Restek Josip 85; Galerija Klovićevi dvori, jr-124-824

List of works of Josip Restek selected for the exhibition from the Collection of Artwork of Painter, Printmaker and Conservator Josip Restek at the Klovićevi Dvori Gallery

01Moonlight, around 1960monotype, 49 x 41 cmsign.dlk: monotype; ds: Mjesečina; ddk: Restek Josip; Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, jr-235-925

02 Primordial form, 1960aquatinta, 83,5 x 54 cmsign. ddk: Restek JosipKlovićevi Dvori Gallery, jr-203-875

03Door, 1961aquatinta, 75 x 33 cmsign. dlk: aquatinta (print d´artiste); dd: Vrata (Komp. 4) Restek Josip 61Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, jr-204-876

04Boulder, 1961aquatinta, 83,5 x 28 cmsign. dlk: aquatinta comb.(print d´artiste); dd: Stijena (Mur); Comp I; ddk: Restek Josip 61Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, jr-205-877

05Signs, 1961aquatinta, 39,5 x 25,8 cmsign. dlk: aquatinta; ds:

“Znakovi”; ddk: Restek Josip 61; Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, jr-207-879

06Crystal fossils, 1962aquatinta, 64,5 x 49,6 cmsign. dlk: print d´artiste (aquatinta); dd: “Kristalni fosili”; ddk: Restek Josip 62; Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, jr-210-882

07Illusion of town, 1963aquatinta, 49,5 x 64,5 cmsign. dd: Iluzija grada; ddk: Restek Josip 63Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, jr-212-884

08Crystallisation, 1964aquatinta, 64,4 x 46 cmsign. dlk: print d’artiste; ds: Kristalizacija; ddk: Restek Josip 63; Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, jr-214-886

09Gorice, around 1967aquarelle and Indian ink, 46 x 33 cmsign. ddk: Restek; Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, jr-75-775

10Closed world, 1968copperplate engraving56,7 x 38,5 cmsign. ds: Zatvoreni svijetKlovićevi Dvori Gallery, jr-228-900

11Magic tree, 1968copperplate engraving64,5 x 29 cmsign. ds: Magično stablo; ddk: Restek Josip 68Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, jr-230-902

12Mosaic of landscape I, 1968aquatinta, 49 x 32 cm

sign. dlk: aquatinta; ds: Mozaik pejzaža I; ddk: Restek Josip 68; Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, jr-231-903

13Earth, 1969Indian ink wash, 65 x 50 cmsign. dlk: Terra (Zemlja)ddk: Restek 69; Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, jr-81-771

14Growth – tree, 1971aquarelle, 70 x 50 cmsign. dlk: Rast (Stablo)ddk: Restek Josip 71Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, jr-92-792

15Impression, 1971linocut engraving, 59 x 44 cmsign.dlk: linocut engraving (epreuve d´artiste 4/5); ds: Impresija; ddk: Restek Josip 71; Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, jr-265-937

16Memory, 1972linocut, 58,5 x 44,5 cmsign. dlk: linocut engraving (print d’artiste); ds: Sjećanje; ddk: Restek Josip 72; Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, jr-234-906

17Fields, 1973linocut, 57,5 x 47 cmsign. dlk: linocut engraving 4/10; ds: Polje; ddk: Restek Josip 73

18Serrated surface, 1976aquatinta, 73,5 x 33 cmsign. dlk. aquatinta (print d´artiste); ds: (zahn – fläche) Ploha sa zupcima; ddk: Restek Josip 76

Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, jr-246-918

19Rainbow, 1976aquarelle and Indian ink71 x 50 cmsign. dlk: Duga; ddk: Restek Josip 76; Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, jr-109-809

20Vineyards, 1976aquarelle and Indian ink71 x 50 cmsign. dlk: Vinogradi; ddk: Restek Josip 76; Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, jr-110-810

21Sun and Earth, 1976aquarelle and Indian ink71 x 50 cmsign. dlk: Sunce i zemljaddk: Restek Josip 76Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, jr-111-811

22Fields, 1981aquarelle and Indian ink71 x 50,3 cmsign. dlk: Poljaddk: Restek 81; Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, jr-121-821

23Horizon in blue, 1985aquarelle and Indian ink74,5 x 64,8 cmsign. dlk: Horizont u plavom; ddk: Restek Josip 85; Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, jr-123-823

24Horizon in red, 1985aquarelle and Indian ink74,5 x 64,8 cmsign. dlk: Horizont u crvenom; ddk: Restek Josip 85; Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, JR-124-824

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