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To witness the explosion of color in the paintings of Maša Đuričić, which are executed using a classical technique of oil on canvas, and their ode to the movements of the human body – represents a real and unexpected treat. The artist is a graduate of the fine arts department of the Faculty of Fine Arts, but chose stage design as the focus of her interdisciplinary studies, and clearly the mix of these two approaches – one purely pictorial, and the other an obvious predilection for spatiality and the scenic, with the inclusion of all relevant elements such as volume, light, atmosphere, color – has resulted in an interesting hybrid in the world of the painted surface.



One could look for the influence of various styles fermented in the prolific 20th century in the paintings of Maša Đuričić, one might even hark back to earlier epochs, such as impressionism with its principles of light decomposition, but her painintgs are best viewed in the intensity of their expressiveness, which opens a dialogue with the emotive aspects of being, and so allows an opportunity for them to work their spell on the viewer. Screaming, though at times tempered with white, while at other times venturing into the domain of pop-art, the colors range from sunshine yellows and orange, to the traditionally ‘dangerous’ rosy-red and intense purple-blue and poison green, and so become the most expressive tool of the artist. They build the image, in conjunction with light which is present in abundance, and a jubilant sense of movement (that of the body, but also of the facial expressions – the smile). The motifs of dancers swept up in the ectasy of dance, uplifting, reaching, pirouetting, the coming together and separating of clinging bodies, represent real symbols of youthfulness, joy and daring, the earnest desire of the artist to convey her IMPRESSION of the world that she is pondering, that she hopes to engage with, and share with the viewer. At moments, the weaving bodies turn into areas of color. The series of paintings which explores the manifestation of man, the courage of man to step out and soar, is in a way balanced with the other major theme of the exhibition, a series of self-portraits that are (only seemingly) static.



The close ups of the artist, despite the scale of the canvas, are built in the form of color sketches. The series of self-portraits explores emotional states of being. As if executed on the basis of photographs made ‘on the fly’, not unlike fragments of someone’s life caught in passing, when taken unawares we are pained by the depth of a glance, moved by the wistful tilt of a head, or heartened by a smile. The self-portraits explore the personal and the artistic identity of the painter herself: from a clear predilection for the figurative they ocassionallt dissolve into the deconstruction of the material, wide brush strokes and light streaks falling on the canvas from unexpected angles, negating the realistic and elevating her from a self-portrait (the image of oneself) to a shared effigy (the image of us all).



The honesty and courage with which Maša Đuričić stepped out into our fine arts scene are worthy of respect. She paints what she feels, not fearing experimenting or searching for herself, fighting for that goal with every stroke of the brush. Her creations harken to many things, but most of all of real joy – that of living, and that of creating. The vibrant energy and vulcanic eruptiveness of her canvases indicate a deeply passionate involvement with art.



Ana Popović Bodroža, Art Historian