???? ?. ??????
art hi?torian, City Museum, Subotica
???????????? ????????: ??????????????????, ????????? ? ??????????????? ? ???? ?????? ?. ?????? ? ?????? ??????
PARALLELS OF ACTIVISM: CUBO-EXPRESSIONISM, FUTURISM AND CONSTRUCTIVISM IN TNE WORK OF BALZS G. RPD AND MILO BABI?
Journal 6/2010 (Museum of Applied Art), pages 57-73
UDC:
76.071.1:929 ????? ?.; 76.071.1.929 ????? ?.; 766.049.1(497.11)"19"
Abstract (original language):
????????? ??????? ??????????? ????????, ?????? ?. ?????? (18871981) ? ?????? ?????? (19041937), ? ??????? ?????? ??? ??????? ????, ?? ???? ??????? ? ????????? ??????? ???????????, ??????? ? ??????? ?????????? ???????? ?????? ? ??????? ??? ???????? ?????????? ??? ???. ????? ?? ????? ?? ???????? ????????????? ???????? ?????????, ???????? ?????????? ?????? ?? ?????? ??????????? ?????? ?. ????? ? ????? ?? ????????? ????????? ?????????? ???????. ????? ????? ?? ? ???????? ??????? ???????? ???????? ? ????? ??????? ?????? ????? ??????? ???????? ??????? ????? ? ??????? ? ?????? 1937. ??????, ???? ?????????? ???????? ???????????? ??????? ? ??????? ??????????. ???????????? ??????? ??????? ???????????? ? ????? ???????, ????????? ????????? ??????? ???????? ???? ?? ???????? ? ??????????? ??????? ? ???????????? ????????? ?????? ?? ?????, ????????? ????? ?????????.
Key words: (original language)
???????????, ??????, ????, ??????????????, ?????????????, ???????????????, ????????? ????????, ????????? ????????, ????????????
Summary:
This paper shows two artists born on the territory of the Austria-Hungary monarchy - rpd G. Blazs (1887-1981) and Milo ??bi? (1904-1937) and focuses on their work in Subotica and in Belgrade, in the period between the two world wars. More is known about biography, and even educational background, about exhibitions and there is ? number of works from the large opus of rpd G. Blazs, so that we can rely on ? larger number of his work and essays about them. What is known about Milo ??bi? is based on his designs for the poster in the collection of the Museum of Applied Art in Belgrade, and his nine oil paintings which are in Babi?'s legacy in the City Museum of Subotica, and on several studies about them and about the author. Blazs, ? student of Prague Academy, is one of the founders of Yugoslav graphic art, and one of rare representatives of monotype. He is also an important illustrator and pioneer of socially engaged graphic. He belongs to the circle of Lajos ?assk and Zoltn Csuka; and he worked closely with writers and journalists. His Belgrade studio was located in Kolarac National University from 1927 to 1942. From 1927 he was the illustrator of Yugoslavia oriented newspaper Vreme, and from 1937 with his expressive illustrations he influenced the forming of an art profile of Belgrade magazine for children De?ije Vreme. However, in the domain of illustrations, his capital works include b? illustrating the poems of Endre Ady; one of the greatest poets of Hungarian modern literature. These illustrations were created in 1929 and 1930, and they were the zenith of artist's activist work and reflections on The January 6th Dictatiorships, but they were also elocquent examples of expressionist art and illustrations as ? discipline. At the same time, Milo ??bi? developed distinguished/promine?t graphic design in Belgrade in 1923. ?? used to visit the studio of applied art "Futur" probably until it was closed in 1927. That studio was run b? Oto Bihalji-Merin and his brother Pavle. Through Oto Bihalji-Merin, he followed German constructivism and the work of Bauhaus, and in his poster design he applied co?structivist approach. Lajos ?assk was ? propo?ent of that approach in the poster art - in German literature that advertising te?decy was known under the name "Eleme?tal ?ypography". ??bi? was familiar with Zenit magazine, pubished in Zagreb from 1921-1923, and in Belgrade 1923- 1926. The magazine promoted the services of "Futur" studio: decorating and painting of bill posters ?? ??w buildings. Babl? was known for his anti-militant attitude, like Ljubomir Mici?, ??? of the founders of the Zenit magazine. Typography of the Zenit used ? ??w system of international typographical signs typical for the 1920s, and therefore it was also similar to Viennese magazine Danas (??) - question marks, arrows, squares, circles, vertically and diagonally arranged lines, prominent letters and numbers, and so ??. Advertising graphical work of ??bi? and his ten paintings could b? therefore tied to the zenithists. ??bi? followed the activism tendencies in art with his engaged painting and that connects him with the ideas of Arpad G. Balzs. ?is series of oil paintings that were created in Subotica between 1927-1937 were intended for the World's Exhibltion of Science and Technology in Paris in 1937 (Day-and-night work. The Banner of ????? (around 1930), Anarchist at work, Satan's dream or ? Vision of ? War (1936), Warrior, Dictator (1936), Pilots, Rocketstation, also known as Metropolis, Air Earth Maneuver). In all these pictures he integrated clear attitude and content that corresponds to his poster drafts, especially in Fritz Lang's expressionist movie Metropolis (1926), that had ? great influence ?n the artists of that time, ??bi? and Balzs, too (the movie was shown in Subotica in April, 1927). ?h?? use specific iconographic toponims that appear in the movie (for example Moloh, engines, chimneys). ??bi? also uses the characteristical method of expressionist montage novel. ?h? famous example of this is the novel b? John Dos Pasos Manhattan Transver, 1925. Mystification of ? city is ? typical expressionist motif. ?h? literature of expressionism has ? lot of images that besides ? War picture Engines and ? City. Two apparently n?n compatible extremes: apstractio? and visualization go hand in hand with emotionally emphasized visionary characteristics. ?h? movie Metropolis is ? typical example of this dualism: ?n one hand we see alegorical abstractions (the concept of the City itsef, then Work, Mass, Leader, Brain, ?ands and Heart), ?nd on the other hand, enormous power of visual expression, impressive, sugestive image. In that way among the work of Babl? and Balzs, we ??n find ?n? group that in its basic ??nt?nt has ? topic of metropolis, work, engine, and also another group that refers to war. Babl? had ? new motif of Antichrist, ?nd his return was present as ? motif in the second half of 19th century. ? number of philosophical ??d literary works b? F. Nietzsche, S. Lagerlof, Vladimir Solovjov and Endre Ady deal with this subject matter. The author might have met the motif of Antichrist in Belgrade through the magazine of anthroposophy movement ?n?w Yourself. that was published from 1931 to 1940. Iconographic model of the painting The Banner of ?????, ? triangle inserted into ? circle, and also the word "?????" written in Cyrillic, indicate that Babl? was familiar with the work of Russian constructivists, such as was the poster b? ?1 Lisicki from 1919, that figuratively showed the message:" ?it the whites with the red ?ail ?? stabbing red ? triangle into ? white circle". Compositional parallel with Babi?'s painting is the illustration of Adie's poem ?? the Graveyard (1929, 1930), that in its upper left comer, has ? square that looks like ? window ? pupil ??n b? seen in it. On Babi?'s painting the specific compositio? is represented b? the globe, and with Balzs's, it is ? mirror of the poet's soul closed in the square. Circle is ? common motif for ? number of Babi?'s paintings. ?h? applicatio? of ? circle is present in art at the begining of 20th century ??d more often in avant gard movements. There is ? circle in the shape of ? wheel in A.G. Balzs's illustration of Ady's poem ?h? Death ?n the Railtracks (1929), and it clearly shows its connection with activist moveme?t and the ?assk circle, gathrered aroung ? n?w Vienesse magazine and the application of its language of visual expression. In some Babi?'s paintings, the circle transforms into jin-jang. The use of this sign is an important part of the program of the serial. It is not found so often in European art at the beginning of 20th century, but it is famous, as is zen philosophy. ?his Babi?'s serial testifies about his commitment ?nd clear antiwar attitude. His tendencies to reach ballance - within the boundaries of symbolic content, are based ?n ? simple principe of dualism, whose micro- and macrosystem is represented in dualism of paintings and the whole serial. ?is ico?ographic program manipulates with contrary terms such as: war-peace, demolition-building, chaos-order, division-unity, ruling-subordination, and so on. Comparative analysis of ??i? and Balzs's work, has resulted in noticing key toponims that include international stylistic and iconographic artistic practice on the wider European avantgard scene.
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