Peasant Poet

1940
ink/paper
399 x 298 mm
signature: down in the left corner: Mraz / 40

In the field, on peasant's vehicle sits tired poet holding a pencil and paper, with a poem on a paper.

Franjo Mraz was born on April 4, 1910 in Hlebine, in a poor peasant family. After five years of primary school work in the household and are engaged in agriculture. From an early age begins with drawing and painting with watercolors. He writes and publishes songs. He starts to paint from 1930, the first under the supervision of Krsto Hegedušić, and then Peter Franjic. From 1931 he began to exhibit his works. Hegedusic indicates to picture what he sees: a real everyday life in the countryside. He has made a
series of drawings and watercolors from the typical traditional village life, sometimes permeate and social themes. He exhibits in Zagreb, as a guest on the third group exhibition of a group "Land" (1931). The most common themes are images of the reaper, ploughmen, diggers, reapers and laborers, cattle in the fields and woods and landscapes. "In the mid-1930s began painting tempera and oil on glass and canvas formed his paradigmatic works soft tone solutions, without solid outline, painted flatbed and free patches of colors, full of lyrical charge and coloristic freedom" (quote: Vladimir Crnkovic) Because of his beliefs during World War II, he has repeatedly been arrested. On the way back to camp he escapes. Under the influence of political engagement Mraz began gradually change his artistic expression and the lyricism of color and light switches to hard realism; shows the true characters of the wounded, refugees, orphans and outflows. The war and often encounter with death open place to new content and emphasized expressiveness. Topic of war will remain present in his creation even later. In the mid-1950s Mraz returns to the ideology of Hlebine Art School in the selection of topics and manner of painting. The artist once again focuses on representations of everyday rural and idyllic landscape with only limited work that reflects on the partisan theme. But even in the lyrical landscapes even depictions of the rural way of life does not shy away from a realistic representation of reality. After the war, lives in Zagreb and works at the Department of Fine Arts at the Ministry of Education and Culture. Since 1950, lives in Belgrade and works in the War Museum. In 1955, he became a professional painter. By the end of his life he was living very quietly; spent his time painting in his studio in Belgrade or on Peljesac peninsula. He died on 26 October 1981 in Brežice in Slovenia, and was buried in Belgrade.