Slava Raskaj Croatian artist Date of Birth: 02.01.1877 Country: Croatia

Biography of Slava Raškaj

Slava Raškaj was a Croatian artist who is widely regarded as one of the best watercolor painters of her time in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was born as Friderika Slavomira Olga Raškaj in the town of Ozalj, Croatia. From birth, she was deaf. Although her family was not wealthy, her mother, Olga, managed the local post office, which was considered a respectable position at that time. Olga had a passion for drawing and passed on her love for art to her daughters, Slava and Paula.

At the age of eight, Slava enrolled in a school for the deaf in Vienna, where she began her formal education in drawing. During this time, she primarily worked with pencils and inks, using classical sculptures as models. Only two of her childhood drawings have survived, and they are currently exhibited in the Croatian School Museum in Zagreb. In Vienna, Slava also started learning foreign languages, becoming proficient in German and French. She eventually switched from pencils and inks to gouache and watercolors.

In 1893, Slava returned to Ozalj briefly before being sent to Zagreb for further education. Ivan Muha-Otoić, a local teacher, recognized her extraordinary talent and convinced her parents to let her continue her studies. Initially, she was supposed to be taught by the renowned artist Vlaho Bukovac, who was a close friend of Ivan. However, Bukovac declined to teach her, and ultimately, Raškaj became a student of Bela Čikoš-Sesija. She lived in a state institution for the deaf and attended Čikoš-Sesija's classes, using the local morgue as her studio.

Raškaj's repertoire during this time was quite unique. She painted slightly eccentric still lifes and unconventional watercolors. Her paintings depicted seastars and silver chests, red roses and owls, lobsters and fans, all combined into complex compositions. In the late 1890s, she began painting en plein air, making sketches in the Zagreb Botanical Garden and major city parks. Her paintings became brighter and more serene. In 1899, Slava returned to Ozalj, where she continued to paint outdoors. Most of her famous works were created in the 1890s, including "Self-portrait," "Spring in Ozalj," "The Old Mill," and many other brilliant paintings.

In 1898, Raškaj showcased her works to the public for the first time. Six of her watercolors were exhibited at the newly opened Art Pavilion in Zagreb, alongside famous artists of the time such as Menci Klement Crnčić and Vlaho Bukovac. Her works were later exhibited in St. Petersburg, Moscow, and even at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris.

In 1900, Slava began showing signs of severe depression. She spent some time in a hospital before being sent home for further treatment. However, her condition deteriorated rapidly, and in 1903, she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Unfortunately, she was no longer able to paint in her state. Slava Raškaj passed away on March 29, 1906, from tuberculosis.