Željko Đurović
Biography
Željko Đurović was born on December 12, 1956, in Danilovgrad, Montenegro, where he completed his primary and secondary education. His formative years in the nature of the Bjelopavlićka plain and summer months spent on the shores of Ulcinj played a crucial role in shaping his aesthetic. The artist often emphasizes that from these “caves of memory” of his childhood, he draws inexhaustible inspiration for his landscapes, flora, and fauna, which resemble paradise gardens.
He completed his painting studies and postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade, in the class of esteemed professor V. Todorović.
He is a member of ULUS (Association of Fine Artists of Serbia), the Ex-Libris Society of Belgrade, the international artist group “Libellule – Renaissance Contemporaine” from France, as well as the groups Figuration Critique and Ange Exquis. In Serbia, he is one of the founders and pillars of the group “Fantastičnih 6” (Fantastic Six), which strives to preserve and affirm the tradition of the Belgrade fantastic art circle and the legacy of Mediala.
He worked as an associate professor and later as a full professor at FILUM in Kragujevac, where he taught drawing and painting to generations of students. He is now a retired full professor. He lives and works in Belgrade, in a studio located at Pregrevica 2A, Zemun.
ARTISTIC PHILOSOPHY
A World Between Eros and Nature
The focus of Željko Đurović’s works is eroticism as a vital life energy, with the female nude appearing as its key symbol. The female nude in Đurović’s work is not a mere naturalistic depiction of the body, but an archetype of the goddess, cosmic nymph, Eve, or siren. Eroticism is depicted as a vital, driving, and pure energy of life. Organic forms, pronounced texture, and unconventional color build a recognizable visual language, far from naturalism.
His paintings almost completely exclude man-made objects. Instead, he paints biomorphic structures, organic forms, shells, thistles, and Mediterranean light, in which female bodies intertwine with nature.
As art historian Jasna Opavski writes in the exhibition catalog:
“A woman is the central axis of Đurović’s compositions. Around her, the chaotic world twists in a spiral.”
Zvonimir Osrečki, art historian and critic, describes his work as:
“Painting of unusual invention, lush vivid-baroque imagery and singing artistic melody, and immense wealth and opulence of bright colors.”
His works belong to the explicitly figural concept and are characterized by oneiric (dream-like) atmospheres, transformed zoomorphic and botanical forms, unreal chromatics, neo-baroque landscapes, and a rich variety of symbols.
THE MEDITERRANEAN INFLUENCE
Born in the Zeta valley, surrounded by the sea, Đurović’s work is deeply influenced by the Mediterranean environment. He says:
“I was born in the Zeta valley, grew up next to the Zeta and on the sea, my studio is next to the Danube in Belgrade. I’m probably destined for water to play a significant role in my work, even though I almost never paint it directly. Yes, I grew up in an idyllic rural environment where everything flourishes and smells, an environment rich in flora and fauna in a Mediterranean climate.”
The colors of the sea, water, sky, stone, the heat of the sand, the softness of the body, the eroticism of the stomach, breasts and thighs, the smell of cypress—these are the memories stored in his creative consciousness.
Technique
Painting
Oil on canvas
Painting is the central field of Đurović’s artistic expression. Through intense color, rich textures and biomorphic forms, he transforms the visible world into dreamlike landscapes where the human figure, nature and imagination become inseparable.
Drawing
Works on paper
Drawing holds a significant place in Đurović’s artistic practice, revealing the foundations of his visual language with immediacy and precision. Through line, gesture and intricate detail, imaginary figures and organic forms emerge in a more intimate dialogue between observation, memory and imagination.
Printmaking
Graphic Works
Mezzotint holds a distinctive place in Đurović’s graphic practice. Through this demanding technique, he explores the dramatic relationship between light and darkness, creating richly textured images in which figures and fantastic forms emerge from deep, velvety shadows.
THE ARTIST'S VOICE
I HAVE ALWAYS KNOWN THAT I BELONG TO
PAINTING WITHOUT TIME AND SPACE LIMITATIONS
Of all the quests in human history, the quest for love and warmth is the strongest. Emotions are the driving force in art and real art evokes positive emotions, happiness and bliss.
Željko Đurović
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Four Decades of Fantastic Art
Solo
Exhibitions in Serbia and abroad
Group
Exhibitions internationally
Awards
for artistic achievement
Books
featuring his work
INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE
Beyond Borders
Željko Đurović’s work has reached audiences far beyond Serbia, becoming part of the wider European dialogue on fantastic and visionary art. Through major exhibitions, international salons and museum presentations, his distinctive visual world has been presented in some of Europe’s most important contexts for fantastic and contemporary figurative art.
SWITZERLAND
Gruyères
International Center for Fantastic Art, Gruyères Castle. His works are also represented in the permanent collection of the Gruyères Museum.
FRANCE
Paris
Participant in the Salon Comparaisons at the Grand Palais as part of the Libellule group, one of the important international platforms for contemporary figurative art.
AUSTRIA
Vienna
His work has been presented at the Museum of Fantastic Art, connecting his practice with the broader European tradition of fantastic and visionary painting.rt.
ITALY
Venice
Participant in the First World Exhibition of Fantastic Art, Du Fantastique au Visionnaire.
IN THE STUDIO
Work Before Inspiration
“I am not an artist who sits and waits for inspiration to come. I believe it comes when you begin the process of painting, drawing, and meet the canvas. Only through work can you achieve something.”
— Željko Đurović
