ANTE KUDUZ, SPACE – B, 1972, (COLOUR SILK PRINT, 800 X 600 MM), PRIVATE PROPERTY

ANTE KUDUZ (Podsoje near Vrlika 1935 – Zagreb 2011) After finishing School of Applied Arts in 1956, Ante Kuduz inscribes Graphic Department at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. He graduates in 1964 in the class of Professor Marijan Detoni. He participates for the first time at a group exhibition during the years of his study, and prepares solo exhibitions since 1965. He will all together exhibit at about seventy solo and almost twice so many group exhibitions throughout Croatia, former Yugoslavia, Europe and the world. Since 1969 he is employed at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb (since 1980 in the status of full professor). Apart from graphic works he has created noted works in painting and was exceptionally successful in applied arts of graphic design and in designing books, journals and catalogues. He lectured also at the Study of Design in Zagreb since its founding in 1989. Kuduz received a number of recognitions and awards for his work among which special mention deserve the Award of the Second Salon of Young Artists in Zagreb in 1969, the Award for graphics at the fifth Zagreb Art Salon in 1970, second award at the Second International Biennial of medieval artistic impulse 93 in Sežana in 1994, the award of the First CroatianTriennial of Graphic Art in Zagreb in 1997 and the Yearly award of Croatian Association of Artists for 2000. He is also the author of a number of noted graphic maps. Ante Kuduz formed as author in the 60-ties of the last century, in an ambience marked by exhibitions of New Tendencies and problems of optics and perception themes initiated by these exhibitions. For his own artistic expression he firstly chooses the technique of serigraphy, which remains a kind of his artistic trade mark until the end of 90-ties when he will not resist the opportunities and challenges of digital technology. Changes in his creativity throughout several decades were continuous, never drastic and always logical. Therefore, his works were usually interesting to public and critics alike, but at the same time also easily recognisable. The serigraphy Space-B dates from 1972, representing Kuduz as visually exceptionally cultivated author with fine feeling for composition and space dynamics. Approximately a quarter of the serigraphy is left completely white in its lower part, while its greater part is dominated by geometrically and coloristically exceptionally diverse combinations which in form of a kind of bands, seem to hang from the above rim of the whole composition. Shortly, it is an example how visual diversity i.e. dynamics is in an indeed wondrous way in harmony with the logic of composition.