Landscapes and horses – Marino Baldini

Horses, as a historical constant, represent a classical art theme that has been present since ancient times, from the earliest paintings, drawings, and sculptures of great civilizations, signifying prestigious works through which societies and important patrons seek to convey key messages. Dumančić’s work in sculpture showcases the dignity of horse movement, taking into account essential historical knowledge, but his skillful approach transcends the theme through a realization that is not merely a successful synthesis.

The artist expands the theme beyond bronze sculpture, employing other materials to sophisticatedly enhance the expression, adding new elements to the figurative uniqueness. Although entirely of his own artistic language, rooted not only in formal knowledge, his sculpture exudes a classical quality with accents that charmingly build upon the successful figurative works of exceptional artistic eloquence. Dumančić’s artistic expression speaks of the possibilities that present themselves to those who have a profound understanding of their subject matter through its original and primal characteristics. The equestrian model allows the artist to construct an aura of context and a distinctive iconography of space that conveys a clear original meaning founded in inventive figurative rhythm.

It is not surprising that the artist’s sculpture has garnered numerous significant recognitions among experts, as he systematically succeeds in creating a wide-ranging approach by incorporating what represents the reason for creating figurative art in the contemporary post-conceptual practice. The completeness of his works is understood in their striving for uniqueness, both individually and in groups when creating series that visually communicate as a sovereign artistic system, surpassing mere quotations or partial justifications of recognized parallels. For all stated and unstated reasons, it can be concluded that the sculpture of horses by Hrvoje Dumančić represents an extraordinary contribution to the art, one that is rarely encountered even today, when the art scene, over its rich history, is abundant in diverse artistic solutions.

Eugen Varzić’s landscapes are his latest contribution to art. They come from a workshop that has, in recent years, offered realizations of highly successful exhibitions and public interventions in solving demanding monumental entities, especially sacred monuments. In his work, the artist consistently manages to build a discourse whose value does not merely lie in the acceptable framework of shaping overall forms and rhythm. On the contrary, through individual urban and humanized landscape accents, Eugen speaks about the landscape with the strength of personal vision, subtly painting content as recognizable acquisitions of the cultural context of his art.

The artist’s canvas is thoroughly filled with the possibility of a profound contemplation of the composition, from which continually emerge new eloquent content that creates a complete whole. Through a layered approach, it introduces recognition and immersion towards an artistic richness as a wealth of totality. The artist’s gift is evident in the particularly demanding technique of executing dark tonalities, which, besides layering and multiplicity, also contain a constant high level of creation shaped by the harmony of unusual dimensions. The refinement of his artistic expression builds elegance through classical painting techniques, executed with a masterly hand. The invention of personal style and the technical knowledge perfected as a result of systematic research from numerous cycles, demonstrate a fruit of cultural recognition.

Moving from classical painting themes of the modern, modernist, and pop art, Eugen has ventured into landscapes with aesthetics of symbols, the foundation of which lies in personal ethics, and contents are supplemented with completeness and wholeness of an impressive narration. Eugen Varzić’s iconography allows an unusual way of experiencing landscapes as a literal and spiritually profound flow of continuous new discoveries, which do not require any additional imagining as they are presented to our attention. Motifs, painted with skillful layers, represent the artist’s program, the visual messages of which strive towards an illusion far from banality. For these reasons, it is a true event to encounter the artist’s new contribution. This collection of landscapes belongs dimensionally and content-wise to significant entities that deserve their place in the best exhibition spaces.

The joint exhibition of Eugen Varzić and Hrvoje Dumančić represents an intriguing performance of art immersed in the landscape. In the area of Barbana and Barbanština, especially during the periods of the Ring Race, Varzić’s Istrian landscapes and Dumančić’s horse sculptures have the opportunity to be perceived as a context presented to social reality at a well-chosen time. The sophistication of their works also allows for appreciation beyond space and time. The constant significance, coupled with the skill of painting and shaping, comes from systematic research and a deep understanding of the subjects that construct landscapes or synthesize them in a plastic manner.