Anton Cetin<
PARISIAN WORKS 1966-1968
In the early sixties the situation in the world was critical, filled with fear and anxiety on account of the apocalyptical threat of the A bomb. With the future troubling and unpredictable my drawings Ominous Birds appeared in Zagreb in 1965 as a direct reflection of those times. Upon arriving in Paris in 1966, into a new and a different, freer milieu, with tensions now abating, my art experienced a great transformation. Suddenly the sun, serenity and optimism appeared in my works. The creative possibilities increased palpably. Thematically different works emerged free from the darkness of the recent past.

However, the path was not simple, easy or quick. The Ominous Birds of Zagreb continued to transport their weighty role to their Paris successors, Phantoms, in 1966-67. Though less portentous than the Ominous Birds, but still burdened by the marks of their time, Phantoms nevertheless gradually opened up to a brighter and a more optimistic future.
After Phantoms, the birth of the figure of Eve in 1967 gave rise to a series of new possibilities leading to the creation of many new works. From the distant biblical times the image of Eve has been surrounded by bewilderment, transfiguration and veneration, which has not changed to this day in spite of our modern enlightenment. She represents femininity, birth-giving, the spirit of peace and harmony and the nurturing of life, a symbol of spiritual creativity, in short, a spiritual being. In the work Maternity, in which the figure of Eve was in fact born and continued to appear in my works later in Canada, she is a heart-shaped figure, the heart being centre of life, determination and intelligence, prudence and wisdom, a symbol of divine and human love. As such she alone was the inspiration and the moving force capable of steering my creative energy towards the world yet unknown to me, a world of my art's vision. I consider the Paris works, consisting of some two hundred and fifty works as a very important link in the development of my art. Click to enlarge the picture
Anton Cetín at Gallery Moos, Toronto, Canada.
An exhibition of Parisian Works 1966-1968, paintings, drawings, mixed media by Anton Cetín was opened on 14 November. Exhibition continues to 5 December 2009.

Some of the works exhibited:
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Selfportrait Woman in Profile Rest Erato Distinguished Woman Seated Woman
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Expectation Fantom Fantom and Woman Honeymoom I Meditation
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Landscape I Landscape III Farewell