Andrija Maurović

Andrija Maurović
Andrija Maurović
Born (1901-03-29)29 March 1901
Muo (part of Kotor),
Austria-Hungary
Died 2 September 1981(1981-09-02) (aged 80)
Zagreb, SFR Yugoslavia
Nationality Croatian
Area(s) Writer, Artist

Andrija Maurović (29 March 1901 – 2 September 1981) was a renowned comic book author, often called the father of Croatian and Yugoslav comics.[1]

Biography

Maurović was born in the village of Muo (part of Kotor) in Boka Kotorska in present-day Montenegro (at the time in Austria-Hungary) to a family of Slovene-Montenegrin origin.[2] After a short stay in Kraków, Poland, he moved with his family to the nearby city of Dubrovnik where he attended elementary and secondary school.

Following the recommendation of the writer Ivo Vojnović, he enrolled at the Academy of Arts in Zagreb. Soon he got into conflicts regarding norms and rules because the academy prevented students from working during their studies. At that time he started illustrating books, weekly and daily newspapers, and working for graphic institutions, booksellers and editors, particularly for St. Kugli. As one of the best students, particularly in drawing, he dropped his first academic year. Being extremely busy with the work he liked, he took his academic troubles lightly. Working on illustrations, caricatures, posters and graphic design, he became one of the best, and his work appeared in the editions of papers and magazines like Jutarnji list, Novosti, Koprive, Ženski svijet, Kulisa.

In 1935, he created his first comic Vjerenica Mača, which was published in the Zagreb newspaper Novosti. In the same year Maurović co-launched Oko, the first Yugoslav comics magazine.

Maurović collaborated with many eminent Croatian writers and screenplay writers, such as Franjo Fuis. He also drew his illustrations based on literary models of epic world writers and novelists like Alex Tolstoy, Zane Grey, August Šenoa, Jack London, B. Traven, Max Brand, and H. G. Wells.

It is difficult to describe the total number of his professions and activities. He was a painter of seascapes and apocalyptic scenes, caricaturist, illustrator, preacher and comic strip sketcher. He lived a life of his own creation and created a great number of impressive comic strip heroes and personalities (like Dan, Old Tom-cat, Radoslav). His works are part of the Sudac Collection.

Being in all the world encyclopaedias and publications on comics, he has earned his eminent place in the art of world comics. Numerous editions and reprints of his best works, numerous awards and prizes he has received, the reputation that he achieved is comparable with the achievements and fame of the greatest names and creators of cartoons in the world.

In 1949 the 9th Chess Olympiad management requisitioned a new style of chessmen. Andrija Maurović, a chess player was contracted to design the Dubrovnik chess set.[3] The pieces were made in the workshop of master craftsman, Jakovljevič, in Zagreb.[4]

Andrija Maurović died in Zagreb, and was buried in the Mirogoj cemetery. The comic strip club in Kotor bears his name.

Bibliography

Starting with his first comic strip Bride of the Sword in 1935, in a relatively short time (1935–1940) he drew a great number of comics, including:

Their dramaturgy and morphology show a visible influence of the first westerns.

At the time of the Second World War his drawings included:

and after the war followed:

  • The Mexican (after Jack London)
  • The Siege
  • The Lone Star Rider (after Zane Grey)
  • Riders of The Purple Sage (after Zane Grey)
  • Uglomi, the Master of the Cave (after H. G. Wells)
  • The Pearl of Evil
  • The Girl from Sierra
  • The Old Tom-cat's Return
  • The Old Tom-cat
  • The Witch of Grič (after Marija Jurić Zagorka)
  • Beware the Hand from Senj, (Čuvaj se senjske ruke), based on literary work of August Šenoa

References

  1. ↑ Marina Biluš (3 April 2007). "Istine i laži o majstoru stripa i erotike" [Truths and lies about a master of comics and erotica] (in Croatian). National (weekly). Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  2. ↑ Mladen Hanzlovsky, Andrija Maurović - Portret kroz zaboravljeni razgovor, 1976, Zagreb
  3. ↑ 1950 Dubrovnik chess set details
  4. ↑ GM Pirc – 1950 Dubrovnik chess set
  5. ↑ planB.hr - Crni Jahač Archived September 19, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
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