Generalić, Ivan

Generalić, Ivan (b Hlebine, 21 Dec 1914; d Koprivnica, 27 Nov. 1992).
Yugoslav (Croatian) naive painter, the best-known member of the school of peasant painters centred on his native village of Hlebine; the other members included his friends Franjo Mraz (1910–81) and Mirko Virius (1889–1943). Unlike most naive painters, Generalić had a wide repertory. Many of his pictures depict scenes from village life—weddings, funerals, farm work, fairs, and so on—but he also painted landscapes, portraits, still-lifes, and imaginative subjects. Some of his pictures are idyllic in mood, but in others there is an element of grotesque fantasy or of Surrealist strangeness. Usually he painted on glass and his pictures often have a kind of inner glow. After the Second World War he became internationally recognized as one of the finest of all naive artists, his work featuring in numerous group and solo exhibitions and winning him various awards. In spite of his success, he continued to live the life of a peasant and to paint only in his spare time.