New prints of the depth of Stjepan Perkovic On the occasion of his individual exhibition (In Sarajevo, December 9th, 1999) At first sight or at first idea, the artist and poet, the man – Stjepan Perkoviæ is very interesting as a rarity and as a phenomenon. We know that a man uses hid legs for walking and similar actions but here we have got the artist who uses his legs (feet) for working, painting, turning over the leaves of the writer's book and also writes down his own thoughts through «prints of the depth». In some reviews his painting by foot is represented only as a one of miraculous phenomena of this world. Far from any moralization, we want to point out, at first sight, an invisible picture of the world (cosmos), which penetrates Perkoviæ's works and his poetry. His paintings and poems have got the same source, because they have been created as an expression of the special intimate mood and his individual picture of the world. He begins his work after his inward vision and the result of that is connection of man and cosmos. He does it with gentle word, warm colour and clear lines. His encounter of two persons is  an  idyllic picture, which is included in the complete sense of the existence of Universe. He wants to show that every man's experience in life is full with deep sense and that man  is  giving  his real individuality to this experience. Perkoviæ afirmates totality of the world living by his paintings and poems as by his life style; he is full of optimism which is irresistible. He wants man to take part in the beauty of his morning, in his dawning. He doesn't like careless observation of things which express fulness, but he shows us the presence of many crystal details which create the unit. By his paintings and poems he shows us sunset and sunrays which go away to people on the other side of the world and the other day they come back  to us again without loosing anything of their warmth and beauty of light.  His  'Eye'  warns at clearness and lucidity , exalted holiness of human being, being who can see many deatils, much better and more intelligible. In his 'Resurrection' he doesn't express retold details from the religious presentation, but he gives it as a cosmic event in which Saviour is deep-rooted in the ground, and at the same time He is present in the exalted connection with the Absolute. Here human and divine energies are connected. It sholud be as a flower which succeeded beacuse it had earthly and divine power. Perkoviæ's  'Birth'  is just that flower which doesn't serve itself but inspires the man to act gently. Stjepan Perkoviæ, as he says, «pulls the caravan», cerebral palsy, and this condition determined his life from his early youth. It will be probably surprising if we want to keep away, by watching his paintings and poems, the artist's individual tragic biography, which was really a challenge to him from the very beginning , as he says, «to scream and to sing». Because it was only the beginning of his work; he pulled back – overcame the palsy and now he gives us his clear expression. He is the artist who doesn't want any compassion, either for himself or his work; he connects his paintingand his poetry gently and powerfully and gives it to man and all generations. While working he takes a surprising distance beyond time, history and space, but at the same time he is so deeply intimate and affirmative co-speaker. He has got his own idea concept and his vision of the reality by which is prophetically inspired. In his paintings and poems he shows so many misterious beauties which are not visible to the common man. These are his «prints of the depth», expressed in the beauty of nature, human encounter, searching and walking through history. Lighthouse On the mountain Sits up late Over the handful of roses. We should have Perkoviæ's paintings and poems in front of our eyes when we stop after everyday hurry. We shall find in them refreshment, exalted and donated thoughts of the  hard-working and sincere artist.      Fra Zoran Livanèiæ

 

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