This scene is composed of elementary geometrical figures such as circles, semicircles, triangles, and rectangles. The trumpeter’s body is differentiated in parallel with the background: legs – floor, body and head – cityscape, trumpet and gaze – sky. The colour palette is largely warm with cold blue and green accents. Pregelj leaned to Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) for inspiration, especially in form and composition, and Francis Bacon (1909–1992) in his treatment of individual colored sections.
The moderate Yugoslavian modernism, especially in Slovenia, which is tempered by existentialism, nonetheless needed to leave ambiguous scenes behind it, so the ideologist could interpret them in the orthodox way – with a small amount of effort, this horn player could be placed in a brass band for a May Day celebration: an urban environment, a suit with a bow and a red carnation (or star?) on the jacket lapel. The painting was, after all, approved by officials – it was produced in 1960, when Pregelj began his term as president of the Union of Associations of Visual Artists of Yugoslavia at the federal level – and in 1961 and 1962 was part of the Yugoslavian exhibition of fine art in Paris and Rome, respectively.
Exhibitions:
L’art contemporain en Yugoslavie. Pariz, Musée d’art moderne, 20 December 1961 – 28 January 1962
L’arte contemporanea in Jugoslavia, Rim, Palazzo degli esposizioni, from 24 May 1962