Branimir Karanović – Portraits of Belgrade artists in 1975 and 1985.

August 26th, 2025.

This selection of portraits of Belgrade fine artists promoted by the 1975 (1) and 1985 (2) installations in the Graphic Collective certainly represents, in the reception of the author’s idea, Karanović’s very significant role as a promoter of a new view of photographic art and its artistic status, and he manifested this belief through his own artistic practice but also through his distinguished pedagogical work at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad and, later, at the Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade; today in the role of professor emeritus.

“The inventive shooting angle, the psychological justification of a certain moment, the functionally designed distance of the camera from the object, make this a series of photographs, portraits with an emphasized personal way of seeing. The author of these photographs is guided by a strong and safely oriented instinct,” Dragoljub Kažić (3), Karanović’s professor of photography, wrote in the catalog in 1975. About these early works from the 70s, in the inspiring observation of Pavle Vasić (4), the significance of the extraordinary sense for the artistic approach to the motif is highlighted, which is reflected in the understanding of the model and the environment, in the complex and rich idea of ​​variations, which, so to speak, do not repeat themselves, but always give, with surprising novelty, the image of the artist. About the character of a work of art that belongs to history, Vasić also remembered Atanas Jovanović with regret that he did not leave us a gallery of Belgrade artists of his time. The critic points out, “How much richer we would be! In this respect, Karanović has paid back his time.”

The authenticity of these portraits from the 70s is also enhanced by their curiosity, a kind of author’s dialogue, the footnotes/notes next to their portraits testify to the echo of the moment: Radomir Reljić, Ovakvo je bilo moje lice 1973; Stojan Ćelić, Moments of recognition; Slavoljub Radojčić, Summer Scheme August 1973; Branislav Makeš and Božidar Džmerković with drawings; Matija Vuković, I always stand behind my sculpture; Marko Krsmanović, Mirror painting 1975 and drawings; Milorad Doca Janković, How long is that time and how long is a small drawing of Doca. Portraits from the 80s of Bora Iljovski, Peđa Milosavljević, Halil Tikveša, Stevan Knežević, Stojan Ćelić and Miodrag Rogić have no records. Preserved in Karanović’s archive for decades, they are part of the reception of the importance of the character of an artistic portrait for cultural identity and the context of history.

Ljiljana Ćinkul

1. Catalog of works 1975. Strojan Ćelić, painter and printmaker, Vojin Stojić, sculptor, Milan Vrgović – Era, sculptor, Radivoj Subotički – Lala, sculptor, Miloš Bajić, painter, Danica Antić, painter, Božidar Džmerković – Džeri, painter and printmaker, Radenko Mišević, painter, Miodrag Janković – Doca, printmaker, Dragan Cigarčić – Ciga, painter, Marko Krsmanović, painter and graphic artist, Nandor Glid, sculptor, Zoran Petrović, painter and sculptor, Aleksandar Luković, painter, Slavoljub Radojčić – Caja, sculptor, Živka Pajić, painter and graphic artist, Duško Ristić, painter Radomir Reljić, painter, Olivera Kangrga, painter, Dušan Milovanović, painter, Halil Tikveša, graphic artist, Boško Karanović, graphic artist, Jovan Kratovil – Krata, sculptor, Branislav Makeš – Maki, graphic artist, Matija Vuković, sculptor, Dragoljub Kažić, painter and Aleksandar Zarin, sculptor, Nikola Janković – Koka, sculptor, Boško Karanović, graphic artist and Boško Petrović, painter, Atelier Marko Krsmanović, Detail from the studio of R. Suboticko, Detail from the studio of D. Ristić, Detail from the studio of S. Ćelić, Detail from the studio of Milun Mitrović, Studio of M. Bajić.
2. Catalog of works 1985 Ljubica Sokić, Nedeljko Gvozdenović, Pavle Vasić, Stevan Bodnarov, Peđa Milosavljević, Stojan Ćelić, Mihajlo Petrov, Mića Popović, Vera Božićković Popović, Halil Tikveša, Petar Omčikus, Slavoljub Čvorović, Dušan Otašević, Oto Logo, Ljuba Popović, Dragan Lubarda, Stevan Knežević, Bogdan Kršić, Tomislav Kauzlarić, Branko Miljuš, Radovan Kragulj, Miodrag Nagorni, Ilija Kostov, Bora Iljovski, Kolja Milunović, Predrag Nešković, Milan Žunić, Emir Dragulj, Živojin Turinski, Momčilo Antonović, Milan Blanuša, Milja Nešić, Dragan Rogić, Milun VIdić, Živko Đak, Jakov Đuričić, Mile Grozdanić, Božidar Damjanovski.
3. Dragoljub.Kažić, exhibition catalog, Grafički kolektiv Gallery, Belgrade, 1-10. October 1975
4. Pavle Vasić, Portraits of Belgrade artists, Belgrade, Politika, October 11, 1975.

Branimir Karanović (1950. Belgrade)

Graduated from the Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade in 1974, class of prof. Bozidar DŽmerković. Master’s degree at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade in 1976, class of prof. Marko Krsmanović. Since 1974, he has exhibited independently (Belgrade, Ljubljana, Venice, Thessaloniki, Paris…) and at collective exhibitions in the country and abroad (Belgrade, Krakow, Edinburgh, Thessaloniki, New York, Tuzla, Berlin, Ulaanbaatar, Paris, Madrid…). Awards/selection: First Prize for Graphics Inter-debut, Kraków, 1976; Great Seal Award, Belgrade, 1977; First prize for drawing at the Yugoslav Portrait exhibition, Tuzla, 1979; Golden pin of ULUS, 1981; Award for photography at the October Salon, 1997; Grand prize of ULUPUDS at the May Exhibition, Belgrade, 2003; April award of the Belgrade City Assembly for creativity in the field of fine and applied arts, 2005. He was a professor at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, and then at the Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade; his title is professor emeritus.

Photo © Rajko R. Karišić and Nenad Nenadović