Naïve painting is an original Croatian style which portrays motifs from life in villages in harmony with nature and all its beauty. This is the life of Podravina villages, spacious fields, forests and arable land. So during the first weekend in the month of July, Koprivnica turns itself into a large exhibition space dedicated exclusively to naïve art.
On the central town square, under a bright Podravina sky, about a hundred painters create works during three days, celebrating the richness and artistic accomplishments of the Hlebinska School of naïve painting on glass and wooden sculptures.
Podravina is the `birth place` of Croatian naïve art, which started at the beginning of the 1930`s, under the watchful eye of Academic painter Krsto Hegedušić, who recognized the authentic creative voice in the paintings of two young local men – Generalić and Mraz. With the encouragement of critics and the public, these artists spread their experience further, so gradually, a large number of painters and sculptors became active in Hlebine and Podravina. Today, in the area of this small region there are more than 300 naïve artists. With a symbolic handing over of the keys of the city, naïve painters and sculptors will `rule` Koprivnica from 1-3 July and so turn the city into a large gallery of naïve art, by which they will attract a large number of visitors, buyers, gallery owners and art lovers. The fair under the name `Motifs of Podravina` will also be held in Hlebine – the birth place of naïve art and the most famous naïve art painter, Ivan Generalić. Along with the rich gastronomy offer, interested visitors will be able to spend a day or more in this tame Podravina village and enjoy the interesting, dynamic village lifestyle or simply rest in Podravina`s untouched nature which has been a constant inspiration for local artists.
Koprivnica, the central town in Podravina, was proclaimed a free royal town in 1356. It was named after the small river Koprivnica, and the settlement is first mentioned in 1272.
The Tourist Board of Koprivnica-Križevci County
www.tz-koprivnicko-krizevacka.hr
The Tourist Board of Koprivnica
www.koprivnicatourism.com