ORIGINAL PAINTER OF  THE SERBIAN GLORY AND GREATNESS

 

 

     By marking the of jubilee of the Serbian naive or the authentic art with the independent exhibitions  in the Museum of his native city of Jagodina  and in Belgrade  in the Home of  the poet Djura Jaksic ,Vladimir Kepic the idisputable  talented  painter of the original themes has made  a remarkable contribution by his noted  artistic creations ,particularly   those  depicting  the glory of the “heavenly Serbia “ .Showing his exceptional sense for expressing rich colors of  his native Morava  valley region known as Pomoravlje , skill in displaying the artistic symbols and allegory  in his paintings associated  with the old and new Serbian glory and greatness ,and in realization of the imagined composition with many  conspicuous  detail , Vladimr Kepic has attained what is the most important for his further achievements : to be recognizable at first sight and original as the painter.

      Viewing the opulence of visual arts of Vladimir Kepic who by combination of circumstances begun painting  in 1979 1.e. in the some year when the writer  of  this review edited  the firs Yugoslav lexicon of naive art (published by the BIGZ  Publishing House )we can conclude that this artist was neither influenced by the well-known Brasic’s  Oparic School, nor by the so called  county-like Hlebinje manner after which he firstly used to paint on the glass .Fortunately , Kepic soon left this Breugl’s  influence to become an authentic autonomous painter of the Pomoravlje passing thorough several phases of paining  on the glass an canvas ,the painter of the country life scenes and customs  of the Sumadija region , of the poetics and stormy historical events this region.     

        Living near  Jagodina’s  Museum of naïve Art , noted already by his talented  drawings in the primary school , Vladimir Kepic had the opportunity to acquaint very well the established artistic repertoire  of his countrymen which was characterized by the evocation of the world  as it was experienced in the childhood through  the apparently expressed village  symbolic .But the young painter Vladimir Kepic , in spite of the imitations in his early stages of work the generally known themes in the paintings of his countrymen i.e. the theme’s  of the natural beauties  of the country landscapes with versatile events so characteristic for the seasonal transitions from the springtime till the winter , he wanted  and primarily tried to uncover the forms and expressions of visual art  of his own . So for instance , his “Portrait “ of a typical  peasant from the Morava river valley with long moustaches and the Serbian “sajkaca” cap deeply set to his brow ,bears in itself  all characteristic features of  a Sumadia’s native :sagaciousm, clever , decisive ,brave ,savage …Also , Kepic’s greatest  Sumadija’s  hero and national leader Karageorge (Swart  George ) with his eyes reflecting titanic power and savage ,depicting  the human soul as it usually  said , is displayed with the great master-portraits in his portraits .

         During  the period of fifteen years of his painting we can note in style of Vladimir Kepic’s naïve realism ,a series of  brightly painted landscapes on the glass with  the themes of everyday activates of villagers (“shepherdess” ,”harvest”Picking of Chamomile and the like ), and opposite to them a cycle of completely different dramatic  events devoted to the traditional centuries old customs of the  people of  the Pomoravlje area as separate one :”View from the Coffin ,”On the Cemetery “.The symbolic composition “The ritual on the Tree with a hundred years  old oak and  a lonely wood-cutter ,based on the ancient tradition of centuries old struggle against the evil , bewitchment …

       Utterly attached to the pure artistic ,original visual expression through well harmonized adjustment of colors with the dominant astral-blue and green ,Vladimir Kepic attained  the greatest poetical pinnacle with his winter country landscapes and with typical idyllic-pastoral lyric accent ,whose conspicuous protagonist are the nude country beauties .These nymphs and Venus’s of the Pomoravlje  are playfully splashing  in a small river surrounded with the rich green vegetation ,like warning us to the  Russoean’s  return to the nature to the nature –as the best way to stay healthy .With t he apparent contrasts between land ,water and sky in the combination of bright and dark tones ,Vladimir Kepic with a remarkable inspiration conjured out with his brush on the neat figures of the girls-bathers  and also the symbolic composition of Adama and Eve who ,glorifying the love are held hand in hand ,like the bride and groom  in front of the altar.

         Kepic’s pictures devoted to the glory of the Serbian endowments (“Monastery Gracanica “and others ) are completely different .By studying icons from the ancient monastery treasures produced in the manner of  the splendid Serbian  medieval tradition under direct Byzantine influence and working together with the Zoographer  Djordjevic on the renewal of the orthodox village churches , Vladimir Kepic has mastered thru of art ,clearly proved and realized also in his later compositions  of larger size with which he is witnessing about the ancient and also the modern times .With all his wishes ,efforts and skill he precisely displays the “Monastery Gracanica “ in its natural environment ,expressing thus the  sense for old layer of dust and color  as well as for the secular omen behind whish is nothing less attractive Kepic’s  renewed  “Palace of the Princess Ljubica “in Belgrade with strongly expressed whiteness of walls  and clouds.

         Trying to be independent and avoid imitations, to be authentic ,original painter of  his time ,Vladimir Kepic has reached the pinnacle of his achievements during this period of the Yugoslav recent drama .As he used earlier to display the old Serbia’s  glory and greatness  in his pictures ,his most recent compositions contain many symbolic-allegoric details which are inciting  associations to the present Golgotha of yhis nation .In an inspired manner Vladimr Kepic pints are devoted  to the glory of the patriots-volunteers from the whole  Sumadija who decisively stand in defense of their compatriots from our Krajinas against the evils like those big powers .Recording the contemporary events like the ingenious Goya with his series devoted  to the horrors of  war, Vladimir  Kepic  with his compositions from “Crucifying of  Serbia 1989 “ which remind us t earlier horrible genocide (which passed  over in silence )over the “God’s people “, through  his warning message for the oncoming disaster in his symbolic canvas “The Hague 1991” relating to the destruction of our country  which was planed in advance , up to the visionary “Heavenly Serb” he created the exciting artistic evidence of the time “when those alive envied the dead ones “. This brave Serbian people being surrounded  from all sides and pressed  by the sanctions  withstand the terrible satanisation on the visionary-like Kepic’s latest paintings, struggling between the cross and the crescent ,protected  their believes into God’s mercy blessed by the Winged Angel transferred by our artist Kepic from a medieval fresco dating 1234 to his canvas with a clear anti-war message .Just with best cycle devoted to the glory of the heavenly but also earthy Serbia ,Vladimir Kepic has attained the pinnacle of  his achievements by his original ideas and manner as well as with his creative work to represent praiseworthy the  original or naïve art.

 

 

Dated in Belgrade on 9 April 1994                                       Kosta Dimitrijevic ,sgd.