Osijek in Caricature in the Caricatures of Milan Tolić

Milan Tolić (Split, 1. rujna 1899. – 20. studenoga 1990.) splitski je slikar, scenograf, pedagog i karikaturist čiji opus karikatura još nije dovoljno istražen. U članku se analizira album Tolićevih karikatura Osijek u karikaturi tiskan 1940. godine u Građanskoj tiskari u Osijeku na temelju originalnih slikarovih crteža. Tolićev je album zbirka crteža u kojoj su razvrstani u skupine: glumci, odvjetnici, liječnici, članovi Trgovačke komore, profesori, industrijalci, trgovci, obrtnici, policajci, gradski činovnici, gostioničari i bankari. Ukupno tristo lica gleda nas sa 187 stranica u petnaest skupnih i dvjesto dvadeset i osam pojedinačnih karikatura. Album Tolićevih crteža donosi karikature pretežno rađene perom te u manjoj mjeri olovkom i tušem. S tehničke strane sve su karikature izvedene na sličan način – Tolićev crtež u albumu jednostavan je, prepoznatljiv i čitljiv. Autor se predstavlja kao siguran crtač i vješt opservator koji u čistoj linearnoj tvorbi vješto grafički bilježi lakim ritmom i sumarnim zatvaranjem linija figure u pokretu. Obrisna linija crteža teče u dužim neprekinutim linijama, a strukturalna ponegdje u svojim kontrastnim odnosima očitava teksture materijala. Likovi su prikazani en face i u profilu, a karikirani likovi često su prikazani u poslu koji po svojoj profesiji obavljaju. U navedenim karikaturama likovni izričaj Tolić gradi najčešće na čitavoj figuri, ali svoju osobnu umjetničku fiksaciju usmjerava na glavu, neiscrpno bogat i zanimljiv likovni sadržaj, koji deformira, korigira i mijenja dok ne ustanovi što najbolje odgovara karakteru prikazanih modela. Tako se ironija izražena naglašenom likovnom gestom ne zaustavlja samo na vanjštini, nego i u emocionalnoj komunikaciji premda su likovi u svojoj deformiranoj potenciranosti ponajprije fizički karakterizirani. Kao i u Tolićevu slikarskom opusu, i u Tolićevoj karikaturi (što dolazi do izražaja i u ovom albumu) postoje oscilacije vidljive u likovnoj kvaliteti karikarura. Tolić, britak opservator, u nekim karikaturama postaje ilustrativan, blijed, međutim s obzirom na broj karikatura to je donekle i razumljivo. Skupne karikature u albumu komuniciraju s gledateljstvom raskošnim rječnikom crte, a sve to na smiješnoj i satiričkoj osnovi u komici crte i oblika, ali i duhovitosti gesta i grimasa. Album Osijek u karikaturi zapravo je prikaz Osijeka krajem tridesetih godina dvadesetog stoljeća u njegovim intimnim sferama u relacijama vremena, prostora i ljudi, čime autor uspješno referira osječki politički, društveni i javni život. Tolićeve karikature imponiraju svojim iskrenim laganim humorom koji dobroćudno ismijava karikirane likove. Album Osijek u karikaturi vrijedan je Tolićev prinos našoj likovnoj umjetnosti karikaturalnog izraza.Milan Tolić (Split, September 1, 1899 – November 20, 1990) was a painter, stage designer, pedagogue and caricaturist from Split, whose caricature opus has not been studied sufficiently. The paper analyses Tolić’s album of caricatures named Osijek in Caricature which was printed in Građanska tiskara in Osijek in 1940 and was based on painter’s original drawings. Tolić’s album is a collection of drawings categorized into groups: actors, lawyers, doctors, members of the Chamber of Commerce, professors, industrialists, merchants, craftspeople, policeofficers, city clerks, innkeepers and bankers. There are three hundred faces presented on 187 pages in fifteen group and two hundred twenty-eight individual caricatures. Tolić’s album of drawings presents mostly caricatures done for the most part in pen, and some were done in pencil and ink. From the technical standpoint all the caricatures were done in a similar manner – Tolić’s drawing in the album is recognizable and readable. The author is presented as a skillful artist and keen observer, expertly recording figures in motion in easy rhythm by summarizing the lines of a moving figure. The outline of the drawing runs in longer uninterrupted lines, and the structural lines are sometimes providing texture of materials in their contrasted relationships. The characters are presented full face and in profile, and the caricatural characters are often drawn performing the work typical for their profession. Tolić builds his artistic style mostly on the whole figure, but directs his personal artistic attention to the head, immensely rich and interesting in its artistic content, which he deforms, corrects and changes until he finds the traits which best fit the character of the models drawn. Thus, the irony expressed in the excessive artistic style is not restricted to the outward appearance, but also in an emotional communication, although the persons are primarily presented physically through their deformed excessiveness. The group caricatures in the album communicate to the public through the flourishing dictionary of the line, all built upon a funny and satirical basis in the comedy of line and form, but also in the humor of gestures and grimaces. The album Osijek in Caricature is in fact the presentation of Osijek of the late Thirties of the Twentieth century in its intimate spheres in the relations of time, space and people, whereby the author successfully refers to the political, social and public lives of Osijek. Tolić’s caricatures impress by their sincere light-hearted humor, which good-naturedly mock the caricatured characters. The album Osijek in Caricature is a valuable contribution of Milan Tolić to our visual arts of caricatural expression