Zlatko Mušić’s Paintings, and a Short Interview with the Artist

Zlatko Mušić is a 31-year-old artist from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Recently one of his paintings (shown above) was chosen to be displayed on a hi-res screen by the Saatchi Gallery in London.

I’ve had the pleasure of an interview with the artist. Here it is.

Mira Tudor: Hi Zlatko, looking through your portfolio at https://zlatkomusicart.wordpress.com/portfolio, I’m struck how versatile you are, moving with gusto from one style to another. I see the influence of Cézanne, Expressionism and de Kooning, but also of Caillebotte, collage, and digital art. I would like to ask you, who are your favorite artists and why?

Zlatko Mušić: The diversity in my artworks probably comes from different styles and artists that had an influence on me, but among the many great artists I like, I consider Cézanne the greatest. Besides Paul Cézanne I would like to mention also Marc Chagall, Edward Hopper, and Mark Rothko as some of my favorite painters and influences.

All of these artists together are [the] definition of pure art, in my opinion. Chagall with his imaginative storytelling scenes and bold use of colors, Hopper, on the other hand, with his use of light and the suspenseful atmosphere in paintings, and Rothko, of course, with his monumentality and his understanding of space in painting. They all influenced my work greatly, but in the words of Picasso, Cézanne is the father of us all.

MT: What medium was your favorite when you started making art? Was it always painting?

ZM: Painting was always my favorite medium. In the past, I liked to draw a lot besides painting, but with time as I took more interest in abstract and semi-abstract styles of painting I started to use colors more and to draw less.

MT: Do you work on commission? What are some of your paintings that you created on commission, and what can you tell me about your experience of working with a client to create a painting?

ZM: I work on commission often lately and it’s very challenging. For me, lots of commissions are based on earlier paintings I did—the client often wants something similar to my paintings that he saw in my portfolio or somewhere else. It’s very important to retain creative freedom, but at the same time meet the needs of the client. I’ve also had a few commissions where I had total freedom to do what I wanted, so it all depends on the client. The latest commission I had was a series of abstract landscapes also based on some of my earlier works. You can see one of them on my blog: https://zlatkomusicart.wordpress.com/2017/01/24/the-new-world-abstract-landscape

MT: Do you sell prints of your art?

ZM: Yes, I sell prints. They are available on http://zlatko-music.pixels.com

MT: Anything else you’d like to add?

ZM: I also have a shop on Etsy where you can find some of my original paintings for sale: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ZlatkoMusicArt. And you can find me on Facebook, too: www.facebook.com/ZlatkoMusicArt, or on my blog: https://zlatkomusicart.wordpress.com/portfolio

MT: Thank you, Zlatko, for this interview!