Background
Ivan Generalic was born December 21, 1914 at Hlebine, an unnamed village in the region Podravina in the heart of ancient swamps of Pannonia. As a young man took care of the farm work and in his spare time he drew.
Ivan Generalic was born December 21, 1914 at Hlebine, an unnamed village in the region Podravina in the heart of ancient swamps of Pannonia. As a young man took care of the farm work and in his spare time he drew.
In the summer of 1930 Krsto Hegedusic and spent the holidays in Hlebine known academic painter and professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, by chance he met the young peasant Ivan and soon saw his extraordinary talent. In the footsteps of his thesis on the social peasant paintings, using the technique of painting on glass and experiences of the French painters naifs, Krsto Hegedusic gave Ivan Generalic bfirst painting lessons.
Just one year after the young farmer became an extraordinary painter, exhibiting at the third exhibition of a group "Earth" (Zemlya) in Zagreb in 1931. In 1936 with his first solo exhibition Ivan confirmed his genius. Thus was born the Croatian Naive Art.
In 1953 he attracted world attention with his solo exhibition in Paris, in 1955 in St. Paul and in 1958 the World Exposition in Brussels, where he secured an important place in the world.
Following the example of Generalic the farmers from Hlebine, Podravina and Croatia but also Europe and worlwide began to paint. It set up the so-called Hlebine Art School that defines a style that more than one location.
He died in 1992. His work is an essential part of Croatian and world art.
In 1985 an anex to the Gallery of Naive Art in Hlebine was open in which all of his works are permanently exhibited.
An island
1939Country Dance
1937Cows in the woods
1938Dancing on fair
1940Djelekovec rebellion
1936Djuras backyard
1939Fair in Novigrad Podravska
1931Harvest
1939Harvester
1939Hlebine swineherd
1931Husovtsy in the snow
1930Landscape with a house
1939Peasant watching over cows
1937Talaychev bridge
1931The Requisition
1934Village backyard
1937Watching over pigs
1933With a hammer (Trading)
1936Beggar on crutches
1967Boy with cat
1959Cat near Candle
1954Crucified rooster
1964Eiffel Tower
1972Fish in the air
1970Cows in a landscape
1957Lunch in vineyard
1971Making Cheese
1943Manure
1942Overnight
1941Resting under the tree
1942Self portrait
1975Sunflowers
1970The decease of Mirko Mirius
1959Village Backyard
1943Winter
1942Woman is sawing
1972Women are working
1941He became the member of ULUH (society of Croatian artists) in 1945.
In 1934 he married with Anka Kolarek and got son Josip in 1936.