This is Ivan Generalić

Ivan Generalić (December 21, 1914 – November 27, 1992) was a Croatian painter in the naïve tradition.

Generalić was born in Hlebine close Koprivnica. In elementary school, painting lessons were his greatest joy and as a child he used to earn money. He mostly drew behind pencil upon paper bags and some of these sketches were seen by Krsto Hegedušić, at the time (1930) just a student of the art academy, later a professor. Hegedušić was impressed following Generalić’s act out and organized Generalić’s first public art exhibition, held in 1931 in the Zagreb Art pavilion. Positive critiques and friends at the times led to a other era of not on your own Croatian, but afterward world art as well.

After World War II, in 1945 he became a zealot of ULUH (society of Croatian artists). In 1953 he exhibited in Paris, where he lived and painted for a few months. In 1959 he painted The Deer Wedding – his most essential work, according to partners of the Croatian naïve art world. His house and peasant enthusiasm of that time was his inspiration. His subjects enhance weddings, farm work, seasonal celebrations and funeral processions, and his rural scenes often included political commentaries on the social injustices of his time. Due to his technique of using oil paints on the reverse of a glass pane rather than enjoyable canvas, his pictures have a unique reflective quality.

Generalić has a large number of followers, beside his colleagues who form the first generation – Franjo Mraz and Mirko Virius. His second generation buddies are Franjo Filipović, Dragan Gaži, Josip Generalić, Ivan Večenaj.