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Read blog posts about the life and pictorial oeuvre of Bosnian painter Mihridžan Kulenović Mimica.
Oil on canvas; cycle ‘Genesis’; 150 x 180 cm; 1986 (before the damage).
An Iconic Painting Marked by War
In 1986, Mihridžan Kulenović Mimica put the finishing touches on one of his most iconic and acclaimed paintings. This oil on canvas (150 x 180 cm), the flagship art piece of the ‘Genesis’ pictorial cycle, depicts an orgiastic scene encompassed by the quintessential element of life, water, curled in the shape of an overwhelming wave.
The painting is a vivid representation of the process of creation, presented in all its dynamism and inexorable voluptuous fervour.
The painting was enthusiastically received by the art critic, following its display at the 1986 ULEBiH exhibition in Belgrade.
Sadly, this masterpiece, envisioned as a celebration of life, would soon come to bear the ugly and ruthless marks of the war. During the siege of Sarajevo (1992-1996), the atelier of the painter was severely hit by a grenade and the shrapnel from the blast damaged the painting. The scars of war have indelibly tarnished this art piece and encumbered it with a sorrowful memory.
Mihridžan Kulenović Mimica, in front of his flagship painting from the series ‘Genesis’.
Oil on canvas; cycle ‘Genesis’; 150 x 180 cm; 1986 (after the damage).
The painting, conceived as an allegory of the Genesis, the creation of the world and humanity, now displays the signs of destruction. This dual connotation remains deeply rooted in the painting.
Paradoxically, the added meaning caused by the damage and its historical testimony, made the painting more appealing to art buyers, but the artist always refused to separate himself from this piece of art.
To date, this oil on canvas is considered to be one of the most representative works of the artist’ oeuvre.
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