THE EFFECT OF WARTIME SUFFERING ON THE CHOICE AND TRANSFORMATION OF MOTIFS IN THE WORK OF SAFET ZEC

Abstract

Safet Zec is one of the most prominent Bosnian painters and graphic artists. For decades he has been creating works with a certain number of motifs and returning to them on several occasions during his active years. Above all, in his works he depicts landscapes, architectural motifs (the house, the homestead, room, window, door...), still life (bread, a cloth, table, flower pot...), and human figures. While his early work dates back to a peaceful time in his life in former Yugoslavia, marked by an atmosphere of happiness, fulfillment, and freedom, his later works, which date from the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and its end, depict the tragedy and collective suffering of a people. This paper aims to present the importance of the works of Safet Zec and to view his opus from the aspect of his choice of motifs, their transformation, and the message the artist conveys depending on the social circumstances. We hope that this paper will introduce the work of this artist to the wider and expert public, and provide a contribution to a broader view of his work, encouraging researchers to further study.