Early days

Srecko Zitnik was born in Split, where he attended the High School of Art and later pursued visual arts at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences,
graduating in 1987 as a professor of visual culture (painting under Prof. Ivan Krstulović, sculpture under Kažimir Hraste and Aleksandar Midžor,
and graphics under Petar Jakelić).As a beloved student and already an established painter, his first solo exhibition was opened by
professor and academician Kruno Prijatelj at the Art Gallery (Cinema Tesla) in Split during his third year of studies.
At that time, Zitnik’s personal interest in painting was focused more on form than color, with a surrealistic style.

Following that style, his painting journey eventually led him to a significant commission: Portret u odori pandurskog časnika – II
(Portrait in the Pandur Officer’s Uniform – II) by Srećko Žitnik. Commissioned in 1989 to mark Doba francuske uprave u Dalmaciji
(The Era of French Rule in Dalmatia), the painting was created for an exhibition at the Archaeological Museum in Split,
commemorating the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution.

Inspired by an 1810 watercolor by Antun Barač, Žitnik, a draftsman at the museum, infused elements of a self-portrait into the oil on canvas (130 x 160 cm).
The work, featured in the exhibition and catalog, reflects Žitnik’s ability to reinterpret historical themes with a contemporary touch.

During his fourth year of studies, he held his first significant exhibition at the former Museum of the Revolution
(now the Gallery of Fine Arts) titled Colors of Holland, showcasing around 40 large-scale oil paintings
inspired by his stay in the Netherlands and the strong coloristic impressions he brought back with him.

Colors of Holland

EXHIBITIONS

With the works Colors of Holland by Srećko Žitnik, Split, Museum of the Revolution
Airy Atmospheres of Cities: A Dalmatian in the North


Every painter carries their homeland with them when traveling the world. Some more, some less. It is impossible to fully escape it. The young Split painter (1962) Srećko Žitnik presents in his third solo exhibition, at the Museum of the Revolution in Split, his visual impressions of the Netherlands.
Despite the convincing landscapes and cityscapes exhibited, it is clear that this is a southerner, a Mediterranean artist.


Žitnik has impressively captured the unique atmosphere of Dutch cities, especially Amsterdam, with its unforgettable white-blue-gray dominant palette—a sense of the damp yet clean and airy atmosphere of a city where everything exudes neatness and cleanliness.

The process behind these thirty relatively large canvases is fascinating: they were not created on-site, with mobile easels, but in the artist’s studio after returning from the Netherlands, based on sketches and notes. Žitnik’s studio work is a completely separate artistic process from the experience on location.

His oil paintings feature harmonious compositions, emphasized lines and colors, and successful syntheses of the experienced and subsequently composed. They retain a certain sketch-like freshness from the first process while achieving the graphical and coloristic completeness of the second. Stylistically, they build on the achievements of French Impressionism. With their temperamental yet disciplined brushwork, they are closest to the Fauvism of André Derain.

This stylistic retrogression is not concerning for a young painter, especially today, in a period of returning to figuration and tradition. This style of painting—with pure colors, free brushstrokes, and dense layers of paint—best suited the artist to convey the immediacy of his impressions and achieve the coherence of each work.
— DUŠKO KEČKEMET, Vjesnik, 08.06.1988

Once upon a time

HAPPENING

Painter Srećko Žitnik decided to temporarily relocate his studio to Split’s Pjaca.
One thing is certain: the happening delighted passersby.
Photographed by B. VUKIČEVIĆ
Painting currently resides at the main wall of the the Tourist Information Centre Peristil, Split

SPLIT, GALLERY “PO BOTA”
Cityscapes by S. Žitnik
The Split gallery “Po Bota” has opened the tenth solo exhibition of young Split artist Srećko Žitnik. This time, he presents a series of cityscapes and landscapes. Around fifty paintings are displayed in the gallery and in the surrounding alleys, a charming intention of the “Po Bota” gallery managed by Angela Bebić.
Žitnik offers his expressively colorful view, primarily of Split motifs, which he has been recording over the past few months. The exhibition was opened by art critic Andro Filipić, who highlighted the eloquence of this painter, who curiously explores from motif to motif, always with a wide scope and distinctive coloristic design.
The exhibition will remain open until June 1.
Photographed by P. GUDIĆ

GALLERY OF ST. MICHAEL
S. Žitnik Exhibits
At the Gallery of St. Michael (Mihovilova širina 1), an exhibition of artworks by Split painter Srećko Žitnik will open tonight. A small retrospective or an artistic pause at the crossroads of possibilities, as the author calls this setup, will feature works created over the past decade. The exhibition opens at 8:30 PM.

To the author’s variations

When the scent of colors
Carries content with the Soul
An inspired Hand paints landscapes
Breath
sustains reality
Mysteriously, bodies whole
With faces swirling
Alive, it paints
Land
to the sea speaking
of gifts
toward tomorrow’s vibrant whole
Art guides the Hands
Man and
Brush paths into
Bodies
and speaks

— Milijada Barada (dedicated to the artist on the occasion of his exhibition)

Prof. Dr. Duško Kečkemet,
art historian and author

“His oil paintings captivate with the authenticity of their experience, the spontaneity of visual interpretation, and the mastery of execution. They reflect the artist’s coloristic sensitivity…”……………read more

Prof. Vinko Srhoj, art critic

“…Such a landscape is the absolute visual measure for a painter with lyrical vocation and romantic sensitivity… Žitnik sees only the interplay of tonal values and the eternal fluctuation of light properties in the scene…
“Srećko excels in working with colors… All the beautiful promises visible in his paintings stem precisely from his skill in creating coloristic compositions.”
“Slobodna Dalmacija, Culture, Exhibitions, 5/1988

Nevenka Bezić Božanić

“Žitnik possesses a unique sensitivity to color, discerning differences between individual motifs and subordinating everything to color, which he will undoubtedly continue to build upon in his artistic style.”
— Nevenka Bezić Božanić, Slobodna Dalmacija, Culture, Exhibitions, 10/1990

Andro Filipić, art critic

“His energetic brushwork, using thick layers of paint, serves an expressionistic visual concept. Nervous at times, it will briefly settle into long lines, disturbing the mood of the painting even more through that moment of calm. But this unrest is not chaotic. On the contrary!”

Chicago, oil on linen 2005

Zitnik has been a member of the Split branch of HULU (Association of Croatian Artists) for over 20 years.
He lives and works in Split, with his studio Atelier Zitnik, at Kruziceva 10, Split where you can visit him,
see his paintings, and talk to him about his Art Journey.

are essential elements in Zitnik’s artistic approach. Thick layers of paint applied with sweeping brushstrokes emphasize the raw energy and emotion of the composition, while the natural canvas texture becomes an integral part of the artwork’s depth.

Color, composition and txeture

Open-air Exhibition

Featured a monumental self-portrait displayed in the middle of Narodni Trg (People’s Square), transforming the historic square into a vibrant art space. The piece invited the city to pause and reflect, merging artistic expression with the pulse of public life in Split.

from music to painting

Journey

Music is at the heart of the painting process, guiding like an improvisation on an instrument. Many works are named after songs or lyrics that resonate in the moment, shaping the rhythm of the brushstrokes. Painting feels like a spontaneous duet between sound and color, where the energy of music finds its way onto the canvas, turning emotion into texture and form.

atelier zitnik

Artist open- studio

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PROCESS

Painting in the studio

is a different process than painting outdoors. The light varies, and since we see colors because of light, different light sources create different colors. Blue, in particular, reacts strongly to artificial or natural light, shifting through shades of Ultramarine, Prussian or Sky blue. Knowing how these colors will appear under any light source comes with experience—years, even decades of practice.

artist studio

Creative
Mess

Inspiration behind creating several large-format self-portraits.

Once,
I painted
myself

Painting live / Click on Yellow Tube to reveal the PLAY button