MURALS – A Bridge Between Tradition and Modernity

A text by Marko Ćurčić on the fusion of tradition and modernity

In a linear understanding of culture, the terms “tradition” and “modernity” are perceived as complete opposites, positioned at opposite ends of the spectrum. However, the relationship between them is a complex dialectical one, involving interweaving, complementarity and transcendence, ultimately striving towards a synthesis of tradition and modernity.

Mexican muralism certainly provides a good example of this amalgam, combining new techniques, everyday subjects and pre-Columbian artistic traditions. Whether we consider Rivera’s utopian optimism, Siqueiros’s revolutionary dynamism or Orozco’s universal themes of human suffering, we can see how, by combining different styles from different historical periods, ranging from European classicism to Olmec and Aztec cultures, these artists succeeded in creating a distinctive artistic expression. By bringing together traditional themes and modern techniques, they moved beyond classical mural painting and developed a style that spread around the world. It should therefore come as no surprise that the influence of this movement can often be seen in many of the murals painted on the facades of Čačak over the past decade.

This influence is not limited to the fusion of local tradition and modernity, but also encompasses the contributions of diverse traditions from around the world, making Čačak both an art gallery and an open-air ethnographic museum. Among the murals, we can find elements drawn from other Slavic traditions: geometric patterns inspired by Polish folk handicrafts, as well as Bilibin-inspired folkloric pastoral scenes and Russian landscapes. Further east, we encounter murals drawing inspiration from the ancient Japanese woodworking technique known as kumiko, incorporating its patterns into depictions of various animals.

Interestingly, this group also includes a considerable number of murals connected to the aforementioned Latin American cultural traditions. One of them features geometric shapes inspired by pre-Columbian art, while at the same time bearing an unmistakable resemblance to the traditional rugs that have been woven for centuries in southern Serbia, pointing to certain universal aesthetic and cultural motifs. However, the mural that attracts the most attention is “Mačak de Čačak” (The Cat of Čačak), painted in the style of magical realism, with the intention of portraying ordinary things in extraordinary ways. The cat is simultaneously depicted as a living creature, as a jaguar that has contributed so much to South American aesthetics, and as a folkloric and mystical being, a connection to the otherworld and a guide through liminal spaces. One half is rooted in everyday Peruvian life, while the other belongs to the cosmic mysticism of shamans and ayahuasca, derived from the emerald rainforest whose colours define that half of the mural. With one eye fixed on the viewer and the other gazing into the beyond, “Mačak de Čačak”, although visually divided in two, forms a phenomenological and perceptual whole.

On the other hand, there are murals firmly rooted in local traditions, primarily through the aforementioned interplay of geometric forms and colour. Folklore and ethnic motifs undoubtedly play an important role in some of these works, whether they depict traditional or contemporary subjects. Yet there is also an interesting connection to the distinctive cultural heritage of the Ovčar-Kablar Gorge. This connection can be seen in the murals painted on the Čačak silos, which provided an ideal canvas for a temporal triptych in which three different artists, from Čačak, Belgrade and Germany, explore the intertwining of past, present and future. Although each artist has a distinctive style, the three murals form a harmonious whole, with the first mural making the strongest attempt to bridge tradition and modernity through a deconstructed landscape of Čačak. The artist draws on the deconstruction of ethnic motifs and pastoral elements, from which one of the symbols of Čačak, the plum, emerges. Furthermore, the very shape and position of the silos evoke a kind of modern-day krajputaš (traditional roadside memorial), breathing life into the post-transition greyness of concrete, much as stonemasons from the Rudnik and Kablar regions did centuries ago.