"Every new brushstroke is a new adventure that carries the artist away. When you enter the world of painting, you don't know where you are, how you are, or when or if you will get out of it. It eludes you and becomes elusive, and it doesn't tolerate stories or excessive explanations," are the words of the prominent Montenegrin painter. Slobodan Pura Đurić which opened a previously published monograph on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his work.
The famous and authentic Montenegrin painter, former mayor of Cetinje and prominent cultural figure, passed away yesterday at the age of 90, thus setting off on a new adventure, leaving behind a rich artistic and civic heritage. The funeral will take place today, January 20th at 14 p.m. at the Old Cemetery in Cetinje, and a commemorative session will be held tomorrow at 11 a.m., in the Assembly Hall of the royal capital Cetinje.
"Đurić left an indelible mark as a painter, graphic designer and cultural worker. His works adorn museums and galleries around the world, and his importance has been recognized through numerous awards and recognitions. He is the author of the books "Fragments from Life" and "Cetinje Jokes" in six books, and he will also be remembered as the mayor of Cetinje, who revitalized the city's cultural heritage. Rest in peace, maestro," the Cultural Center of the Royal Capital of Cetinje said.
Đurić was born in 1935 in Cetinje and grew up in a family with a rich artistic tradition. His multifaceted talent was recognized as early as childhood, when he began his education at the Film School in Zagreb, working on film projects such as “Father Brno’s Bacon” and “The Blue Nine”. After being inspired by the Zagreb art scene, he graduated from the renowned Art School in Herceg Novi, then the Pedagogical Academy and the Faculty of Cultural Studies.
Art historian, MA Lucija Đurašković She previously stated that the rich artistic oeuvre of the Montenegrin painter will long serve as an inspiration for the creation of new generations, but also a challenge for research into his work.
"Pura Đurić's painting is original and unique, refined with a rare fine sensibility for the unknown and mysterious... Filled at the same time with ideas and questions, universal and timeless existential contents that spread beyond the borders of our Balkan space, retaining the stamp of the specificity of the climate in which the artist was born . His painting warns, draws attention to technological frenzy, witnesses, condemns and points to the destruction of humanism, the uncertain path of one possible projection of the tragic consequences of the great utopia of Western civilization of which we are an inseparable part. Puro's rich artistic oeuvre, with its authentic persuasiveness, will serve as a challenge for new research, constantly inspiring future generations," Đurašković pointed out.
Art historian Olga Perovic Back in 2008, on the occasion of the retrospective exhibition at the time, she said that Puro Đurić's work would remain remembered, appreciated and analyzed.
"He is a painter whose work will be remembered despite his unobtrusiveness. He generalized his vision of Montenegro in an original and stable way that sets him apart from his contemporaries. His devotion to maritime Montenegro, to urbanism that one would think he disliked, and to the unadulterated nature of mountainous regions, is full of color and light, merged into a whole that captivates...", she pointed out.
In the book "Montenegrin Art of the 20th Century", the famous Montenegrin poet, essayist and critic Young Lompar He pointed out that Đurić's paintings, in all phases of his creation, have a dose of melancholy, narrative and enumeration of details.
"Although he himself asserted that most of his work was 'on the border between real and surreal', critics generally classified him as painting '...contemporary fantasy of surrealist inspiration and symbolic greyness'. Like Dad's paintings from the time of the End of the World, which stands in the quotation of Pur's initial paintings, his cities, actually his Cetinje, has all the truth of subconscious corners", the book states.
In a luxurious monograph published in 2018 by the National Museum of Montenegro and the Center for Contemporary Art, and edited by art historian and art critic Dr. Anastasia Miranović It also remains a testimony to the famous Đurić family, and through photographs of ancestors, family, friends and numerous great figures with whom Đurić socialized, met and corresponded, his unique and unobtrusive personality is immortalized. Dedications from writers, painters, scientists, politicians such as: Joseph Kesel, Albert Moravia, Mihailo Lalic, Borislav Pekic, Aleksandar Ivanovic, Danilo Kis, Milo Milunovic, Milos Sobajic, Pavle Djonovic, show that Đurić left a special impression on all of them.
Slobodan Puro Đurić was the mayor of Cetinje from 1984 to 1989, leading the renovation of the historic core of the city, and was subsequently appointed president of the SSRN Cetinje (Socialist Union of the Working People). During that period, around 135 larger and smaller cultural monuments were renovated and revitalized. He was one of the key initiators of the establishment of the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cetinje.
As a graphic and first Montenegrin industrial designer, he left an indelible mark on the Obod Electrical Industry, where he worked on the creation of many of Obod's products and innovating details of existing designs. He created the first book of graphic standards for the visual and corporate identity and logo of the Obod Electrical Industry in 1967.
His importance is also reflected in his role as the manager of the "November 13th" Art Salon in Cetinje, which under his leadership became one of the most important Yugoslav art salons.
His creative work includes 12 solo and over 220 group exhibitions in the country, 45 abroad, including exhibitions in Rome, Paris, Moscow and Cairo. Đurić was included in the millennium selection book “Successful Artists and Designers of the 20th Century” by the International Bibliographic Center in Cambridge.
He is the recipient of prestigious awards such as the July Thirteenth Award, the Order of the Republic, the November Thirteenth Award and the “Ivan Crnojević” Charter, and by decision of the Government of Montenegro he was named a prominent Montenegrin cultural creator.
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