Critic's reviews

Josip Depolo

Zvonko Pizir's painting genre is considered, by some, to be waning. However, the naive art form lasts, resists and persists in spite of the bleak forecasts.

It is in this vein of 'eternal youth' of naive art that I see Zvonko Pizir. As with every naive artist, Pizir accepts the world as it should be in the eyes of a poet; a world of childrens' dreams in which the bitterness of rationality and the mortgage of historic consciousness in rejected. He started as didi most naive artists, without special drawing experience, out of step with the trade.

With time, he gained experience and passed the known threshold of 'naive universality' autodidactic. Slowly, the too-bright lights dimmed, and from Pizir's paintings melancholy slowly emerged. His motifs were encased in dim lighting, as with the paintings of the late romantic era.

The light, however, didn't go out entirely - today it faintly illuminates spaces filled with shadowy trees and groves. The rustic ideal lasts on, in the reflection of some inner harmony and yearning for beauty. One could say, so necessary in this, our disturbing times.

Josip Depolo

Zvonko Pizir belongs to the art form that some think is fading away. But naive painting lives on, and resists the black prophecies. It is in this vein of "eternal youth" of naive art in which I see Zvonko Pizir.

Like all naive artists, Pizir accepts the world as poets see it, a world of children's dreams in which the bitterness of rationality and the motgage of historical conscience one rejected. He started (as did most naive artists) without drawing experince and achived the well-known "naive universality" autodidactic. Slowly the lights faded and from Pizir's artwork more melancholy emerged.

His motifs were shrouded in soft light like the paintings of the late renaissance. But the lights did not entirely fade - it illuminates the delicate scenes filled with shady trees and forests.

The rustic environment losts, as a reflection of same internal harmony and beauty - samething so sought often in today's turbulent times.

Prof.dr.Antun Bauer

Still in his childrens years Zvonko Pizir felt the necessity to express his experiences, his feelings through drawing and painting. In his first searchings for form, colour, way of expressing, the young painter chose naive style as the most compatible with his feelings and vision. His first exhibition presented him as the mature painters personality. He is accepted and looked for from art-lovers and reviewers as well as in the world of art-galleries,collectors and buyers. A row of exhibitions follows in cultural centres of many contries in Europe and America. A remarkable number of his paintings is left in his country to be the documentation for future generations of our contemporary artistic reality. Sceneries of this painter are bound to the millieu in which he lives, which gives him impetus for work and enables him to transfer the experience of perceived into his paintings. Last fifeen years he paints mainly oils on glas and in this technique he made his most important works. The recognition of Zvonko Pizir in contemporary plastik art at home and abroad is an added value to Croatian art and is a guarantee for good prospects of our naive art.

Prof.dr.Antun Bauer

The first exhibit for this artist was in 1974. at the truly young age of 18, at the "LIPA" gallery in G. Stubica, and presented a young, perspektive "naive" artist of nature talent and style. In the same year there were often exhibitions noticed by critics who applanded this young artist who would contribute to the evolution of Croatian naive artwork. His need to artistically express himself on paper, canvas and glass was never meant to be commercialized, which coused a spontaneous acceptance and demand at his works by critics and the art commanity.

In his initial eyploration of form, color and method, Zvonko leaned towards the Croatian naive style of on olden generation of artists who were his idols. On their example he built his own style enrichmed with form, color and content.

As a young artist, he was quickly accepted in the world of galleries, coolectors and individuals. Many visitors from across Europe have visited the atelier in Gusakovec to see and experience the ambient in which the artist creates.

Zvonko often exhibits his work throughout Europe and the Amerikas and often returns without his paintings.

A significant number of his works are in galleries and collections in Croatia, so that a portfolio of our artist can be preservd for future generations to whom we leave a presentation of today's art.

Zvonko's affirmation as a artist is the strong, eruptive projection of naive art into the modern art world in Croatia and abroad. This is the contribution of Zvonko Pizir to Croatian art, and the guarantee of the future of Croatian original artwork.