The Procession

1937
tempera/paper
500 x 690 mm
signature: down in the left corner: M. Virius / 1937.

Procession led by a scabby man, wearing a crucifix in his hand. Behind him, a woman with crowns and bundles in hand. On the side one family watching the Procession. Woman who is first in line is pregnant, and that allegedly inspired artist to make this composition.

Mirko Virius was born on October 28 1889 in Djelekovec, a village near Koprivnica. He was part of the progressive peasant movement. He connected with painters from Hlebine, Ivan Generalic and Franjo Mraz - they are the founders of Croatian naive art. He participated in the first exhibition of peasant painters in Zagreb. He painted with watercolors, oil paintings and he made drawings. Themes of his works are social: the work in the countryside, home and life rural poverty. Due to political activity he was arrested and taken to a concentration camp in Zemun where he died in 1943.