| Abstract | Hrvatski slikar, grafičar i ilustrator Ivan Benković (Rečica, 1886. – Chicago, 1918.) jedan je od istaknutih predstavnika prve generacije studenata koji su diplomirali na Privremenoj višoj školi za umjetnost i umjetni obrt u Zagrebu, osnovanoj 1907. godine. Iako je njegov umjetnički značaj prepoznat, posebice u polju grafike, najveći dio njegova stvaralaštva do sada je bio gotovo nepoznat. Provedenim istraživanjem detaljno je rekonstruiran Benkovićev životni i umjetnički put, kontekstualizirano je i valorizirano njegovo umjetničko stvaralaštvo u polju slikarstva, grafike, ilustracije, reklame i grafičkog dizajna, uz izradu kataloga svih dostupnih i publiciranih djela. Nakon školovanja na Privremenoj višoj školi za umjetnost i umjetni obrt u Zagrebu (1907. – 1911.), Benković, uz potporu državne stipendije, provodi semestar u specijalnoj klasi Akademije likovnih umjetnosti u Beču i zatim šest mjeseci u Parizu, pri čemu pohađa Académie de la Grande Chaumière. U listopadu 1912. godine zagrebački Salon Ullrich priređuje mu prvu i jedinu samostalnu izložbu održanu za njegova života, nakon koje odlazi u Sjedinjene Američke Države i boravi u New Yorku, Bridgeportu, Connecticut i naposljetku u Chicagu, gdje umire u listopadu 1918. godine. Na temelju istraženog opusa određene su pojedine etape Benkovićeva umjetničkog stvaralaštva, vezane uz utjecaje sredine u kojoj se u to vrijeme nalazio, ali i vlastitog promišljanja smjera kojim se želio kretati. U kratkom razdoblju djelovanja uspio je izgraditi kvalitetan umjetnički opus u stilskom rasponu od secesije, plenerizma i impresionizma do postimpresionizma, promišljajući o slikarskim uzorima i slobodno određujući stilski izraz ovisno o interpretaciji motiva kojim je bio inspiriran. Posebno se u slikarstvu ističu njegovi riječni i morski krajolici te prikazi veličanstvene američke prirode u kojima dosiže vrhunce svoje umjetnosti, a među hrvatskim grafičarima prvi je koristio novu tehniku linoreza izrađujući grafike visokoga umjetničkog dometa. Dolaskom u Sjedinjene Američke Države pozicionirao se kao prvi hrvatski umjetnik unutar iseljeničke zajednice, a njegov profesionalni rad u polju grafičkog dizajna i ilustracija te pejzaži i vedute američkih gradova predstavljaju neprepoznati segment iseljeničke umjetnosti Chicaga toga razdoblja. |
| Abstract (english) | Croatian painter, graphic artist, and illustrator Ivan Benković (Rečica, 1886 - Chicago, 1918) was one of the prominent representatives of the first generation of students who graduated from the Temporary Higher School of Art and Applied Art in Zagreb, founded in 1907. Although his artistic significance was recognized, especially in the field of graphics, the majority of his work had been largely unknown until now. Through conducted research, Ivan Benković's life and artistic journey have been meticulously reconstructed. His artistic contributions in painting, graphics, illustration, advertising, and graphic design have been contextualized and valorized, culminating in a catalogue featuring all available and published works. Following his education at the Temporary Higher School of Art and Applied Art in Zagreb (1907 - 1911), Benković, supported by a state scholarship, spent a semester in a special class at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and then six months in Paris, attending the Académie de la Grande Chaumière. In October 1912, he held his first and only solo exhibition during his lifetime at Salon Ullrich in Zagreb. After this exhibition, he travelled to the United States, stayed in New York, Bridgeport, Connecticut, and finally settled in Chicago, where he passed away in October 1918. Based on the explored body of work, various stages of Benković's artistic creation have been determined, intertwined with the influences of the environments he found himself in at the time and his own contemplation of the direction he intended to pursue. In a short period of activity, he managed to build a high-quality artistic oeuvre ranging in styles from plein air painting, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism to Secession, contemplating painting models and freely determining stylistic expressions based on the interpretation of the motifs that inspired him. Particularly outstanding in his paintings are his river and maritime landscapes and depictions of the magnificent American nature, where he reached the peaks of his artistry. Among Croatian graphic artists, he was the first to employ the new linocut technique, creating highly artistic graphics. Upon arriving in the United States, he positioned himself as the first Croatian artist within the diasporic community. His professional work in graphic design and illustration and landscapes and views of American cities represent an unrecognized segment of immigrant art in Chicago during that period. |
