Dragan Culic
born in Sarajevo (Jugoslavia) 1958
gratuated 1981 from Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo
member of ULUBIH since 1983
freelance artist since 1987
lives and works in Sarajevo and Italy
more than forty personal exhibitions
important:Sarajevo,Belgrade,Lubiana,

Mostar,Ferrara,Ancona,Genova,Roma

On Behalf of Dragan Culic

         ...Dragan’s drawings are hard to be classed, nevertheless they might belong (or at least in Italy it is so) to a sort of fantastic figuration, from the social to the expansion of the vision, sometimes strongly iconic and sometimes clearly “aniconic”, in fact, as we are going to see, the “iconographical moment” has been influenced by dreadful events which distressed and terrified him.

         No doubt there are some important influences in his work but all that is quite normal. Evidently Picasso’s “Guernica”, then Francis Bacon’s contorted, anomalous figuration who is, under certain aspects, the forerunner of the new 900 th world critic figuration.

         In the period before the war the artist painted singular human iconographies (very often with a mysterious horse) so carefully ranged against the ground as to look like a sort of grille. The line is sharp and clean, biting and peremptory. The presence of colour is prudent and moderate. The pregnant figures, I must say, are not very soothing but a slight patina of humour and irony emphasizes their charm and curiosity. Suddenly, or better in coincidence with a definite historical date the artist darkness and his sheets are haunted by the terror and a sort of frenzy panic. Now the figuration is on the point of breaking into pieces and it splinters bursting out, struggling as if it is in a rage and it rolls up into a ball, a ganglion, a tangled skein spreading out eyes wide, groping hands, beaks like hooks, hooks like rapacious beaks, grapnels and harpoons...

         ...Then getting over the tumult of feelings, we have to reckon with the reasoning of true painting and drawing and all their variegated inventions and intelligent paginations.

         Dragan is still young and a lot of work is waiting for him, I wish him it may be more soothing and reassuring than before and I hope I may see his painted-messages again, but in his pacified very civilized country...

         ...Dragan Culic is a gifted drawer, a powerful painter and what is more important he is a true artist.

                                                                Valeriano Trubbiani 

Residence : Via Pandosia,14   75100 Matera (MT) Italy 

cell:               0039 3388827036        

e-mail : dragan.culic@hotmail.it ; www.culicdragan.jimdo.com