Zoran Mušič(Bukovica near Gorizia, 1909 – Venice, 2005)
A Fish
1986, tempera, handmade paper, 261 x 399 mm
Signed and dated lower right: Music 86
NG G 8253, National Gallery of Slovenia, Ljubljana
Alongside mussels and clams, fish were one of Mušič’s favorite motifs for still lifes, always depicted upon a plate. He painted them in the 1930s and 40s, as it was a standard motif for students of the Zagreb academy. At the time, sardines and anchovies were the most common, providing Mušič with an opportunity to study the silver shine of scales.
When he revisited the motif in the 1980s, they were even more expressive explorations of color.
Using tempera paint on handmade paper, he depicted a large, red fish on a silver ovular plate. He explored gold and orange tones on a gray, black, and brown background, putting to good use the rough texture of expensive, handmade paper, most likely of Japanese provenance.
Gift of Ljuban, Milada and Vanda Mušič to the National Gallery of Slovenia