The Earth is Bruno Zupan’s muse. Well, one of them. And that’s the focus of the Slovenian American artist’s exhibition of the vivid and varied paintings on display at the Millennium Gate Museum in the heart of Atlanta.
His hopes for a world at peace and in harmony with nature come to life atop canvases covered in gold leaf. The 83-year-old artist says that this collection is “glorifying nature,” paying homage to its beauty.
Born in Slovenia in 1939, Zupan would go on to study in Zagreb, Croatia, before emigrating to Paris in 1962. He met his wife Jane there, before eventually making his way to the U.S. and becoming an American citizen in 1969.
Credit: Courtesy of Bruno Zupan
Credit: Courtesy of Bruno Zupan
His life experiences and his travels come through in his art. In one work titled “Note to Myself,” Zupan depicts himself as a child in a red coat, walking through a snowy landscape. A guitar is placed in the landscape, its strings intertwining with the branches. The guitar depicted in the painting is Zupan’s only inheritance from his father.
He also gathers inspiration from his wife Jane and their love of Columbus, where they live part time. In Bruno Zupan’s “Artist’s Inspiration,” he depicts himself on a gold leaf-covered canvas. In the painting, he stands in front of a canvas, poised in mid-brush stroke. On the canvas is a painting of his wife, who he shares a kiss with as she seems to jump from the canvas.
Credit: Courtesy of Bruno Zupan
Credit: Courtesy of Bruno Zupan
In other works throughout the exhibit, Zupan depicts the natural world that surrounds Columbus. His love for the region shines through in works such as “Early Blossoms by the Chattahoochee River,” “Weracoba Creek” and “Playing Fields at Lakebottom Park.”
Credit: Courtesy of Bruno Zupan
Credit: Courtesy of Bruno Zupan
The collection contains other pieces portraying other cities that are important to Zupan. From the almond blossoms of Mallorca, Spain, to the waterways of Venice, Italy, Zupan brings inspiration from around the world to Atlanta.
The covering of the canvases in gold leaf, for example, is a Byzantine technique. It adds texture to the paintings and peeks through the edges of the work, providing a subtle shimmer around the works.
Along with the Byzantine influences, viewers can also see Greek influences in Zupan’s imagery. One of the paintings on display is Zupan’s depiction of the Trojan Horse from the Greek siege of Troy.
Credit: Courtesy of Bruno Zupan
Credit: Courtesy of Bruno Zupan
“There’s so many different styles right now and art is going in so many different directions, so I’m finding different inspirations,” Zupan says of his use of Greek imagery and Byzantine techniques.
Nature and his personal experiences are just part of the spark that inspires his work. He’s driven by the gratitude of his patrons, too. “[I]t gives me tremendous desire to paint,” Zupan said.
“Part of Zupan’s appeal is his willingness to take the necessary risks in terms of putting the emotive element back into landscape painting...,” wrote Ed McCormack in ArtSpeak magazine in 1997. “Bruno Zupan is one of the last great romantics and for that alone his work is worth treasuring.”
His work serves as a call to action for viewers to cherish nature.
“I’m very close to nature; close to the rivers, sea, trees,” Zupan said in a promotional video for the show at the Millennium Gate Museum. “I’m trying to glorify them and show the people how beautiful our planet is, and ask them to protect as much as they can.”
IF YOU GO
Bruno Zupan: “My Friend, the Earth”
Through April 7. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. $12; $10 students, senior citizens and military; ages 8 and younger free. Millennium Gate Museum, 395 17th St. NW, Atlanta. thegatemuseum.org.
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