Julije Knifer

Critical text

Julije Knifer (Osijek 1924–2004 Paris) is largely recognised as one of the most prominent Croatian painters of the twentieth century. He was a core member of Gorgona (1959-65), a group of poets, artists, and critics who, in the wake of the pre-war aesthetic avant-gardes, advocated for the demystification of art and its reunion with the daily realm. At that time, Knifer also started dedicating himself to the exploration of a single motif: ‘the meander’, a serpentine line which he painted exclusively from 1960 until the end of his life. Whether on paper or canvas, each meander composition is a variation on the same shape, creating rectilinear maze-like structures through alternating swathes of black and white. Formally reminiscent of early twentieth-century constructivism and suprematism, meanders are however devoid of the political, world-shaping endeavours these movements bore with them. Having no clear beginning, knowing no definite end, these a-chronological switchbacks are the fruit of Knifer’s quest for the reduction of painting to its essential elements. Conceived as an ‘anti-painting’, the meander is a visual exploration of time passing, repetition and rhythm, creating a somewhat meditative stance in both its completion by the artist and contemplation by the viewer.

Text by Mouna Mekouar