NAIVE ART TRAILS

The main recognizable characteristic of tourist offer in the Municipality of Kovačica is naive art, which became a world-famous brand with its specific signs and curiosities related to Kovačica.   

Naive art of Kovačica is an unique feature in the world. This whole style, and especially its renowned representatives have reached a coequal level within professional art circles as the authors of specific works with high artistic values. A love towards beauty, an urge to express the inner unrest and artistic impression by colours, also the need to keep the tradition and folklore, to show the respect for their hometown, its citizens and life in it – all these circumstances led to forming a large group of naive painters, who have reached the high position in the world of art.  

Naive painting of Kovačica appeared with several works just before the Second World War and it started its organized public presentation in 1952. Very soon these self-taught painters began to draw their inspiration and artistic motivation out of their own tradition and folklore, their surroundings, customs, field works and rituals of their plain field. And they have preserved it until today.         

The painters from Kovačica have a common style characteristics and because of this fact their work was originally called „a school“. The motives of their paintings are nostalgic, idyllic images, telling about past times, life on streets and in rural yards, about work on fields, village life, showing an ambient of village rooms with old rugs and old things. The portraits and still life are not so often depicted.

An important role in the affirmation of painting art of Slovaks in Vojvodina belongs to the representatives of naive art school of Kovačica: Martin Jonaš, Zuzana Chalupova, Jan Knjazovic, Martin Paluška, Jan Sokol and Jan Venjarski. Thanks to these artists and disciples of their work, the painting art of Slovaks in Vojvodina became world famous.

The beginnings of naive painting of Romanians in southern Banat  (Serbia) in Uzdin date back in 1961, with a group of women gathered  around Anujka Maran. Their main characteristic was a preoccupation with motives of Romanian folklore.