Tea KULAŠ & exhibition of photographs by Zvonimir BRKAN

TEA KULAŠ, organ [Croatia]

MILJENKO DOMIJAN, art historian and conservator [Croatia]

ZRINKA BRKAN KLARIN, art historian and archaeologist [Croatia]

SEE PROGRAM BOOKLET OF THE 4TH ZADAR ORGAN FESTIVAL

Two years have passed since the 100th anniversary of the birth of the "Zadar photography school" great initiator - Zvonimir Brkan (1920-1979). He was one of the true masters of 20th - century photography in Croatia, whose distinct and recognizable artistic style focused on details highlighted through original framing, shown with the use of strong contrasts and light interventions. In order to revive the collective memory of the Zadar’s photographer and reinforce his importance, the artistic organization Zara engaged two Zadar art historians, Brkan’s granddaughter Zrinka Brkan Klarin and renowned archaeological conservator Miljenko Domijan, conceiving an idea that has finally fully matured this year. The result of the idea will be realized through the final event of the 4th Zadar Organ Festival. Honoring Zvonimir Brkan, the event envisioned an exhibition of his work enriched with a concert performance by Tea Kulaš, organist and the Festival organizer. 

PROGRAM:

Albe Vidaković (1914.-1964.): Fantasia and fugue in F minor

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685.-1750.): O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groß, BWV 622

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685.-1750.): Passacaglia, BWV 582

Franjo Lučić (1889.-1972.): Elegy in F minor 

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685.-1750.): Vater unser im Himmelreich, BWV 682

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685.-1750.): Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele, BWV 654

Krsto Odak (1888.-1965.): Passacaglia, op. 34c

Zvonimir Brkan is one of the few true masters of photography who marked this medium in Croatian art of the 20^th century. Starting at the end of the forties, his artistic creation lasted a full thirty years. By the end of the seventies, he had created a series of anthology photographs, attracting the attention of the international audience early on. Although art history classifies his work as surrealism, many critics call him a magical realist, precisely because of the depth of the artistic experience and the poetic transformation of the motifs in his photographs. Zvonimir's poetics is filled with surrealistic tension and dreamy notes. Even the titles of the photographs are often themselves the bearers of the poetic transformation of the photographed motif.

Zvonimir Brkan shares a distinct and recognizable artistic style focused on details highlighted through original framing and shown with the use of strong contrasts and light interventions, with a very similar expression of his brother Ante. As Zvonimir and Ante worked and exhibited together throughout their lives, the artistic tandem called "The Brkan brothers" was quickly recognized.

The Brkan brothers are the founders of the "Zadar School of Photography", recognizable by the features of their style. In addition to his artistic activity, together with his brother Ante, Zvonimir acted as the founder, organizer and secretary of the international photography biennial Man and the Sea, which established the position of Zadar and Zadar's photographic tradition on the world photography scene.