Last month, painter Naod Zorić marked the first three decades of his creativity with the publication of a luxurious monograph and a retrospective exhibition in the prestigious Belgrade Art Pavilion "Cvijeta Zuzorić".
"The monograph published by 'Obodsko slovo' and 'Štampar Makarije' was premiered first at the Belgrade Book Fair, and then in 'Cvijeta'," Zorić told "Vijesta" - a combination of circumstances. At the fair, art historian Nikola Kusovac and its editor Radomir Uljarević spoke about the monograph, and in the gallery art historians Đorđe Kadijević and Olivera Vukotić, publicist Nikola Mirkov and the artist himself.
"I'm sorry that the first promotion wasn't here first, but that's how it all happened, because of the appointment I got in 'Cvijeta'. I am preparing the promotion of the monograph in Montenegro for March 2018, simultaneously with the exhibition in the Modern Gallery in Podgorica. I made it after 30 years, I hope it is not immodest, I would like to make another one, if God allows me to live", says Zorić.
The representative monograph on 227 pages - more than 90 percent are in color - is decorated with photographs of Zorić's paintings and texts written about his work by Niko Martinović, Đorđe Kadijević, Anastazija Miranović, Mladen Lompar, Ljiljana Zeković, Nikola Kusovac, Borka Božović, Petrica Duletić, Olga Perović, Slobodan Slovinić, Nikola Gvozdenović, Emir Kustiurica and Milan Knežević. The design is by Igor Šuntić, and the photos are by Šuntić, Milan Šakov, Lazar Pejović, Ivan Grdinić, Mirko Bijuklić and Shaft. All texts have been translated into English. The creation of the monograph was financed by Zorić himself, he says - "I honored myself, a book is better than a used car".
"When I got involved in the project, I said that I would not save money, either it works or it doesn't work. It was a huge job in preparing the book, I worked on it for almost two years, I had to look for pictures and photograph them in galleries, museums, private collections... a big but sweet job, and in the end, the joy that is in the essence of painting happens. When I took it in my hands for the first time, my happiness had no end, I rejoiced like a little child when he gets a toy that he has been dreaming about for a long time, it is a kind of fulfillment, not for the sake of praise, but my inner, human fulfillment that I did not waste my life , that something still remains behind me", says Naod.
When asked by "Vijesti" how he reads the texts that art critics wrote about him from this time distance, he answers that he was lucky that he was "always wanted" in his life.
"Criticism and journalists wanted me, but the only thing was that I didn't want to understand, more than once, what was being written about me, and maybe that's actually a good thing, because if I understood, I'd go crazy! Jokes aside, now that I'm reading it, I see that people recognized, felt my painting, had the passion to go a little deeper to see it, thank you to all of them", says Naod.
The exhibition in the Art Pavilion "Cvijeta Zuzorić" in Belgrade - 84 works, the oldest of which is from the day he enrolled at the Academy in 1988, and the most recent was created two months ago, was also an opportunity for him to see directly the path he has traveled. After, as Zorić stated, a serious analysis of himself, he is satisfied: every work, "even 20 or 27 years ago", has its own meaning.
"Now when I look at them, I'm kind of glad, I have a little bit of pride in me, how you did it so young. When I look from the side as a critic, in all these works I see enormous work, true dedication, a desire to enter the secrets of the painting craft. From the old pictures, I learned that above all I should continue to preserve that chastity, honesty, to have a heart while painting, to feel - to preserve what is most important in art, love and passion", Zorić adds.
Drawing - the mother of Naod's creativity
"What is the most important secret I discovered from old pictures? It is, of course, a drawing that has followed me since the first day. He was not just a product of some conscious state of mine, it was always something stronger than me, something that is my foundation, the most visible, the most characteristic, the strongest.
That drawing is, in fact, the main river of my painting. Everything else - colors, other elements... these are just its tributaries," Zorić said.
Continuity, I think, is the only thing that matters
"I didn't work during these months of the exhibition, but I analyzed what I had been doing for those 30 years. After returning to Kolašin, I rested for two days and immediately started working, I completed one period, I am now moving on. I'm a person who thinks that continuity is the only thing that matters, I'm going slowly, so everything will come slowly by itself, I don't know in which direction it would move", Zorić concluded.
Bonus video:
