Art painting “Portrait of a girl” – contemporary art, author Nikola Martinoski

• Name of the item: Art painting “Portrait of a girl” – contemporary art, author Nikola Martinoski, Skopje (born in Krushevo)
• Period / dating: created in 1944
• Origin: Depot for works of contemporary fine arts and exhibited in the Department of Contemporary Art of the Institute and Museum Bitola
• Material / technique: oil paint on canvas
• Dimensions: 40 x 60 cm

Short story (description):

Portrait of a little girl sitting on a small stool, painted halfway, dressed in an unbutton, modest shirt whose ends are put in a dress (whose parts are little depicted on the picture). On the head she wears a cap or scarf, similar to a wider and larger beret. Her hands are crossed, lowered and leaning on her legs. Her portrait is placed in the central part of the picture. There is nothing in the background. The most characteristic feature of this painting is the pose and the contemplation of the girl in which it is revealed: sadness, absence, misery, poverty and even some kind of pain similar to loneliness. The picture is made of free moves, without big details. The author’s most important thing was to present the feeling, disposition, psychology of the poor girl. Nikola Martinoski is one of the most important Macedonian artists, his portrayal of the poor, sad, craving people, mostly female figures, is a successful painting presentation of the depth of the human soul
The painting is exhibited in the Department of Contemporary Fine Art where the history of contemporary painting in Bitola and Macedonia is presented. This is important for monitoring the development of culture and creativity in Bitola and affirmation of the institution Institute and Museum Bitola.

• The project “Increased accessibility and improved interpretation of NI Institute and museum Bitola” was implemented with the support of the Headley Trust UK through the project of the Balkan Museum Network “Stories of the Balkans”.