Critical Texts & Recommendations
Selected critical texts and letters spanning Athens, Paris, and New York.
Triantafyllos Patraskidis Painter · Professor & Dean, Athens School of Fine Arts · 30 July 2004 Herds of animals—horses surging forward, their hooves airborne and nostrils flared—come alive in Igor Bogojević’s exceptional drawings. Bogojević works with the density of masses and marks, paying particular attention to composition. He depicts intertwined groups of animals at moments when instinct reveals the complexity of movement, the power of their bodies, the finely articulated forms of the horses, and the collision of their masses—subjects that have inspired many artists over time. Igor Bogojević successfully conveys space through color and form, capturing the dust, the intensity of the masses, and their speed. Soft shades of gray contribute to the distinctive atmosphere that seems to fascinate him. There is coherence in the development of his work, revealing a consistency of purpose and an unquestionable quality. Igor Bogojević completed his postgraduate specialization in Patraskidis’s class at the Athens School of Fine Arts, supported by an IKY scholarship from the Greek government. English translation from the Greek original.
Athina Schina Art Critic & Art Historian · Athens, February 2006 In Igor Bogojević’s works, horses provide the starting point for an expressionist struggle between forms that are dismantled, merged, and intertwined. The resulting tensions continually reconfigure themselves, at times absorbed into space and at others emerging from it. Space itself appears to vibrate or to generate new forms through a whirling motion, like a vortex. Fragments of horses’ bodies and skeletal structures emerge with violence and momentum, revealing both a clash and a simultaneous upheaval of the elements that give the ultimately abstract form its explosive force. Through color and drawing, volumes and marks become interwoven components of a more encompassing metamorphosis. The heroic and epic qualities expressed by these untamed, proud horses converge with tragedy through the slain bodies of a sacrifice and an act of total immolation. Its exposed flashes of light and depths of darkness reveal the allegory of this struggle and its transformative dimension. Written for Igor Bogojević’s exhibition at the Melina Cultural Centre, Thissio, Athens. English translation from the Greek original.
Mladen Lompar Art Critic & Writer · Cetinje, 18 October 2007 A defining and enduring feature of Igor Bogojević’s painting is the sweeping, “Baroque” whirl of equine bodies, hooves, and nostrils. Lines run through these forms, serving both as a delicate framework and as irregular curves that lend themselves to expressionist distortion. Emotion already dominates the arrested movement of the powerful animal in his early works, where space lacks other references to reality. This emotional intensity becomes more pronounced in the canvases painted during his stay in Greece. The remnants of marble palaces from the classical period give these works a precise sense of place and time, establishing the individuality of his vision. The imagery, physical presence, and atmosphere of this vision heighten the impact of the motif through light brushstrokes and a line that is at once strong and fragile. Scenes marked by the frightening movement of masses occasionally reveal a monstrous beauty. Yet the distorted bodies and remnants of a powerful structure, set against the flames above the Acropolis, also evoke catastrophe. The visual intensity of these scenes, unfolding among imagined collections of stone fragments, and the forces of the agitated body appear as events or chapters in a chronicle of cataclysm. This surreal violence seems held in place by an overarching memory, suggesting a metaphysical dissipation or disintegration of the energy generated by movement itself. The increasingly rapid painting process and the loosening connection to the initial figures, which take shape within layers of color, suggest that Bogojević has for some time no longer needed to seek his obsession beyond the reach of his own hand. Nor does he require further details from these sacred beings to pursue new explorations. Such devotion to the expressive possibilities of a motif often allows its original elements to disappear in the course of artistic inquiry. These canvases might therefore be described simply as color charged with emotion. Herein lies the distinctive place of Bogojević’s work within contemporary Montenegrin painting. Edited English version of the supplied translation.
Slobodan Slovinić Ars Libris · 2010 Exhibition: Centar Gallery, Podgorica · 8 November 2007 Selected excerpt His swelling, intertwined forms radiate an optimistic energy, born of admiration, exaltation, and even a certain reverence for the central motif. Full review That November, the Centre of Contemporary Art of Montenegro presented a solo exhibition of paintings by the young Montenegrin artist Igor Bogojević (born 1980) at its Centar Gallery in Podgorica. Bogojević graduated in 2002 from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cetinje, in the painting class of Professor Dragan Karadžić, and completed his master’s degree there in 2007 under Professor Branislav Sekulić. As a Greek government scholarship recipient, he also completed studies at the Athens School of Fine Arts under Professor Triantafyllos Patraskidis. At the time of this exhibition, he had held five solo exhibitions and participated in some ten group exhibitions at home and abroad. A member of the artists’ associations of Greece and Montenegro since 2005, he was then living and working in Podgorica. The exhibition was accompanied by a color catalogue featuring an introductory essay by the academician Mladen Lompar and excerpts from texts written for earlier presentations of the artist’s work. Twelve exceptionally large paintings, executed in oil on canvas over the preceding few years, were displayed across the gallery’s two floors in the city centre. At the level of its underlying subject and guiding theme, Bogojević’s work undoubtedly belongs to a figurative conception. Yet through an imaginative process of sublimation and a broader transformation of shapes and forms, he reaches expressive and associative realms. In his search for a visual language and sensibility of his own, the young artist chose a much-loved and deeply loyal animal: the horse, which humanity has domesticated and lived alongside for almost six thousand years. Travellers, riders, warriors, oppressors, adventurers, wanderers, and grooms have named horses according to their particular traits and appearances: dorat, šarac, đogat, zelenko, mrkonja, and vranac. These names, associated with different colors and markings, carry a wealth of layers and associations. The horse’s body, gait, gallop, run, leap, rearing movement, dance, and elegance continually summon the visual muses. Bogojević has found precisely this foundation for inspiration: a unifying premise that he varies to a crescendo, multiplies, interweaves, unravels, fragments, and tears apart. Yet these symbiotic wholes convey neither violence nor suffering, nor any infernal torment. Their fundamental impulse is quite the opposite. His swelling, intertwined forms radiate an optimistic energy, born of admiration, exaltation, and even a certain reverence for the central motif. Developing this positive energy, Bogojević creates richly articulated compositions. The primary pictorial substance is anchored at the centre of the image and occupies most of the painted surface, while the background is reduced to a minimum. At the centre, heads, jaws, nostrils, eyes, powerful bodies, limbs, and hooves intertwine. Into this intermingled structure he occasionally incorporates cubic forms whose geometric severity and solidity restrain the overall playfulness of the voluminous forms. It is more than evident that Bogojević builds his expressionist compositions on an exceptional command of drawing. Lines of dark and light, like a magical framework, coherently bind the expanding forms into a whole. His palette is varied and rich, ranging from warm to cool tones. Color, however, is not the primary factor, but an accompanying element that establishes the overall atmosphere of the scene. Bogojević directs most of his attention to defining form, shaping volume, and developing an exceptionally broad range of tonal relationships. Through a skilful alternation of chiaroscuro passages, he creates the striking drama of his pictorial scenes. His paint is highly layered, alternating dense and transparent applications. At times the brushstrokes are small and structural; more often, they are broad and finely articulated. With this recent exhibition, Bogojević has undoubtedly demonstrated the wide expressive possibilities of his art. One hopes that his next steps will continue to affirm his unquestionable artistic potential. English translation from the supplied Montenegrin text. Historical exhibition review; biographical details refer to that period.
Caroline Le Bras Paris period · 2010 Passionate about horses, Igor Bogojević depicts them in varied forms and dark tones. He juxtaposes these figures in compositions that may appear disordered, even confused, yet are in fact shaped with passion and purpose. His work engages the senses through spirited depictions of figures in which body and soul are intertwined. Igor Bogojević — A Spirited Painter from Montenegro The Works: An Alchemy of the Senses An Artist Shaped by Years of Artistic Practice Born in 1980 in Podgorica, Igor Bogojević has lived and worked in Paris since late 2008, undertaking a residency of several months at the Cité Internationale des Arts. In 2009, he was awarded the Gold Medal of the Académie Internationale de l’École de la Loire at the Château de Beauregard. Previously, in 2003, he received a Greek government scholarship to pursue postgraduate specialization at the Athens School of Fine Arts. He successfully completed these studies in 2005 under Professor Triantafyllos Patraskidis, before pursuing a master’s degree at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cetinje under Branislav Sekulić. An Artist Committed to the Pursuit of Perfection Igor Bogojević’s work reveals a sustained dedication to conveying the depth and untamed nature of horses. This passion stems from his grandfather, who owned a farm and encouraged him to express himself through drawing from an early age. His drawing displays the assurance of a master. Through the lightness and fluidity of his gesture, he establishes a distinctive personal style. English translation from the French original. A shorter version appeared in Space Marmelade, Newsletter No. 4, July 2010.
Daniel Lacomme Painter & Art Educator · Paris, 3 July 2011 Igor Bogojević’s art first surprises us with the power of its expression. Then, as the subject emerges, it surprises us with its imaginative force. Yet this expressiveness and imagination are in no way literary; they are, above all, pictorial qualities. This is powerful work that leaves its imprint on our sensibility and memory, like certain dreams we never forget—dreams that retain a greater sense of reality than many things we have actually experienced. Both the subject matter and the exploration of form in this painter’s work, in his drawings as well as his canvases, are remarkable and hold great promise for the future. English translation from the French original.
David Zelikovsky Art Curator · The Four Seasons Exhibition, 2013 Bogojevic's masterful strokes embody the free spirited equine and references its proud and independent nature. Throughout time the horse has proven an enduring friendship that has lent itself to the advancement of civilization. It has become inextricable to Man’s own nature while maintaining its singular free will. Bogojevic manages to take centuries old lore and concisely impact the viewer with the primitive notion of grandeur; be it both true and delusional. Bogojevic reconstructs the flesh into ethereal whispers of otherworldly pleasures latent with emotional upset. His work easily surpasses the physicality of the cognitive process and draws out the darkest corners that exist in us all. By no means make the mistake of a brief walk through as the work presented insists on a slower paced reflection. Allow yourself the time to witness the fruit of Bogojevic’s labor blossom into its intended destiny. You will then arrive at the core of mystery that irks all of us in each and every waking moment. Introduction for The Four Seasons Exhibition, 2013. Original English text.
Ljiljana Zeković Art Historian · Centar Gallery, Podgorica · 2007 Passion, Reason, Pathos and Emotions In contemporary painting, reality seen through the artist’s inner eye sometimes takes on the character of a mysterious and enigmatic mythical primal image, its meaning concealed within a system of associative forms, signs and symbols. This approach, linked to an individual ‘ritual’ process in which reality is transposed into truly amorphous states and coded spaces of understanding, characterises the painting of Igor Bogojević, who completed postgraduate studies at the fine arts faculties in Athens and Cetinje and is presenting a solo exhibition at the Centar Gallery in Podgorica. This young artist, with his recognisable figurative orientation and autonomous organic modes, projects his pictorial world into a realm of metaphysical ambiguity, where the real is systematically reduced and abstracted. In defining his personal spiritual content and his aesthetic, emotional and formal-pictorial references, he concentrates on a single motif through which he expresses the primary attributes of his artistic credo. In the horse’s body and its physical qualities—energy, strength and dynamism—he finds elements that emphasise and give concrete expression to his dominant stylistic characteristics. He articulates the symbolic qualities of the horse, traceable through traditions, myths, ritual practices, songs and stories, in a nuanced visual language that expresses, in his own words, ‘the power of the erotic, of the repressed archetypal and primordial … passion, reason, pathos and emotions’. Delving into the heart of these concerns, Igor undertakes radical transfigurations that lead to abstract-associative conglomerations. Real forms become both the impetus for and the consequence of an expressive sweep in which gesture and action achieve unity. Alongside the horse, another element becomes important in defining his ideas and formal approach. The Doric column, whose stillness, strength and permanence attracted him during four years of study in Greece, enters his paintings as a sign with multiple functions. It exists within or outside the formal groupings, always as a latent element introducing harmony and order, while the horse, a source of instinct and spirit, peace and struggle, good and evil, heightens a frenzy ruled by death that leads towards self-destruction. The inner destruction brought about by undefined forces is projected onto the outward forms, where only a recognisable part of the body—a head, legs or hooves—evokes mimetic reality. Within these convulsive wholes, where anatomical parts overlap, a new microcosm is born in which what was once destroyed is reintegrated. Gaping mouths, distorted heads, a horse’s skull and fragments of anatomy coexist with enigmatic morphological signs in a unified formal and symbolic core. English translation from the Montenegrin text. Delivered by Ljiljana Zeković at the opening of Igor Bogojević’s exhibition at the Centar Gallery, Podgorica, in 2007.
Letters of Recommendation
Vladimir Veličković Paris · 19 January 2005 · Onassis Foundation Selected excerpt I find this young artist’s work very interesting in terms of its subject matter. His is a powerful figurative art, full of movement, with an original choice of colors and a truly remarkable command of his craft. Full letter 2005 · Onassis Foundation, Athens Paris, 19 January 2005 Onassis Foundation, Athens Dear Sir or Madam, I support Igor Bogojević’s application for a scholarship from the Foundation. I find this young artist’s work very interesting in terms of its subject matter. His is a powerful figurative art, full of movement, with an original choice of colors and a truly remarkable command of his craft. The scholarship would enable him to go further and develop his artistic concept. He is a young painter with a promising future ahead of him. I hope you will give him the opportunity to create further new works. He deserves your confidence. Yours sincerely, Vladimir Veličković Painter · Professor at the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts, Paris English translation from the original handwritten French letter.
Vladimir Veličković Paris · March 2012 · Support for Exhibitions in the United States Selected excerpt His wish is, and I heartly support it, to show his work in USA and I think that he should be encouraged and helped. Igor Bogojevic, as man and as painter, has all the qualities to deserve that help. Full letter 2012 · Support for Exhibitions in the United States Paris, March 2012 To Whom it May Concern, My name is Vladimir Velickovic, I am a painter born in 1935, so I had enough time to exhibit all over the world. My works are in most of the world museums. I am a member of the Institut de France, Academie des Beaux Arts and was Professor at Academie des Beaux Arts. I have known Igor Bogojevic for a long time as a, talented and serious young man. For a relatively short time he organized several successful exhibitions and I am sure that very soon he will have in France the place he fully deserves. His wish is, and I heartly support it, to show his work in USA and I think that he should be encouraged and helped. Igor Bogojevic, as man and as painter, has all the qualities to deserve that help. Respectfully, Vladimir Velickovic
Igor Bogojević with Vladimir Veličković · Paris, 2008