sava.! sekulic

Sava Sekulić was born in 1902 in Bilišani, near Obrovac, on the Dalmatian Coast. His father, who passed away when Sava was 10, taught him to read and write. He never attended school. From the time of his father’s death, Sava lived with his mother and three younger sisters, something which left deep traces in his consciousness. Five decades later, he created a series of compositions, in which motherhood and family formed the central theme. As a soldier in World War One, Sekulić was wounded on the Italian front and subsequently lost an eye. At war’s end he moved through Yugoslavia as a casual laborer. In 1943, Sekulić settled in Belgrade, where he found work as a bricklayer. By his own statement, Sekulić began writing poems, and illustrating them himself, on the eve of World War Two. Many of his pictures are provided on the back with verses, which help the viewer today to understand the works, to recognize themes and connections. Following his retirement in 1962, Sava Sekulić devoted himself entirely to his creativity: to painting and writing poetry. This extraordinary artist, who always signed using the three Cyrillic letters “CCC” (as an abbreviation of “Sava Sekulić Self-taught”), passed away in Zagreb in 1989.