Aleksandar Bezinović is a painter born in 1975 in Split, Croatia. After finishing his studies at the School of Applied Arts and Design, he graduated in painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. He has been exhibiting internationally since 1997.

Bezinovic’s artistic process has always been focused on exploring the appearance and disappearance of layers and forms, as well as symbols. Following the laws of Romanesque art, he applies the law of addition and subordination. The fundamental element in his work is a geometrical drawing. Geometric shapes are in constant transformation and rhythm.  During the creative process, the primary drawing is covered with layers of paint and pigments and is finally reconstructed by engraving lines into the partially dry paint. Over time, the color that was ever present in his earlier work changed to monochrome.  He is now gradually returning to color, thereby rendering his works even more layered and dynamic.

https://www.aleksandarbezinovic.com

Has your work experience at the Croatian Conservation Institute of Wooden Polychrome had an impact on the layers in your paintings? Particularly in view of the fact that  the restoration process is primarily a process of “restoring” the layers.

AB: I am sure it does. Investigative probes and the removal of additional layers toward the original surface create interesting aesthetic situations during the restoration process. Outside the conservation context, removing the old dark varnish and restoring polychrome is at the same time a destructive and creative process.  At that time, I developed an interest in Christian iconography and traditional techniques like gilding, dry pigments, and shellack. In general, I am fascinated by religious artistic objects, their transformative and manipulative power, and the way they communicate their message through history. 

While working on my paintings I love building layer upon layer and simultaneously distressing them. It’s like concentrating the energy inside the painting and giving you just a hint about it through scratches. I apply colour with various hardware tools and palette knives then wash it away partially until finally, I recreate the initial geometric drawing by scratching it on the wet surface.

After working at the Conservation Institute for about 10 years, I worked as a freelance scenic painter on movie sets and theatre productions. There were also lots of aging, distressing, and faux painting techniques, but it had to be done very fast on much larger surfaces and using cheap materials. I believe everything I worked on also had an impact on my painting process.