Opus of work of Željko Đurović is impressive and distinctive art of figurative orientation and strong expressive tension imbued with highlighted surreal elements and fantasy fiction. Uncommon imaginativeness, opulent phantasmagoria, solid veil of symbols and signs, states of bliss and mythic visions, archetypal images and unknown exotism of dreamlike, esoteric and baroque worlds – all in rarely seen forms, measures and conjunctions – are just a part of the attributes fitting Đurović’s drawings, graphics and paintings. His fairytale figures and contents of a different order of things overpower conventionalities, deflecting from the stereotypes of everyday life. Their spaces are faraway galaxies, unknown worlds, unreal pre-nebulae, realms of nymphs, angels and fairies, where flaring passion of the Dionysius’s uncover love blossom, celebrating in anthemic manner and symbolizing the triumph of life over the forces of darkness.
Đurović cherishes remarkable and vigorous work, founded on brilliant manual excellence, used to materialize visions of his own. Each drawing, graphic or painting of this artist represents compaction of contents and essence of spirit. His works are not created as a reflection of a being, occurrence or event, or like their adequacy, but they are the result of unconstrained inner urge, immediate expression and flourishing diverged dynamics. And the vitality of expression in Đurović’s work is that what makes core and essence, what ontologically establishes his art as a new being with clear ontic existence and expressive transcendental superstructure.
Fundamental elements of the poetry of this creator are largely reflected also in the art of ex-libris. This graphic media at Đurović’s has been optimally balanced combination of fine structure, master creation and rich invention. It is being realized exclusively in the technique of mezzotint and drypoint etching, because, the author is convinced, it is the most optimal technique for the transposition into the graphic of mystery, delicacy, parabolic, romance, symbolism, astral nebulae and blinking baroque metamorphosis, which are, besides, typical for his paintings and drawings, too.
Đurović’s drawing magic, the adventure of line he uses to spread the wings of his work, finds its purpose in pulling out that what “shines” – an idea – from the inwards depths into the bliss of the day, into exterior, to rename it from the latent and incomplete existence into the visible, actual and full, close to the senses, suggesting of spiritual turmoil and inner life dimension. The needle on the copper plate creates sensitive, airy, fine and arabesque lines. Đurović works patiently and easily, playing with superiority. He is not a slave of recognizable forms and adopted values. He insists on long, distinctive contour, in other words, on defining the forms unseen up to that moment, achieving them by realistic drawing process. However, the interaction of forms, the relationship of dark and light and graphic solutions of perspective, invalidate the realism of the creative act itself as well as the entire impression and atmosphere of the work transferring it into surreal spheres and metaphysical spaces.
A graphic paper, as well as an ex-libris, is not a represent, but a presence of the essence of a creator’s being. It is the art itself in its ulterior occurrence, the essence inbuilt or built-in the very work and immediately expressed by visual liaisons and relationships.
A graphic expression like this realized by Đurović is an amalgamation of original ideas and lines, a sensuous “baptism of fire” of the idea, the first joining of realism with senses and transformation into occurrence undividable from the form. Accordingly conceived and accomplished ex-libris does not possess only its own physical existence, its ontic status, but it completely reveals the other side, its inner sight and deeper sense, its transcendent reality and truth, which certainly is the very essence of an artistic being.
Translation Branka Radosavljević
( 2 Votes )
Parent Category: Receptaculum Category: Articles
