War and Stage

Fülszöveg

^^he style of the Zsgreb artistic photography was esteemed and well-known throughout the world In the period between the first and second world wars. One of the founders of that school, George Skrigin, is highly meritorious for that popularity, for he had not only been the champion of the artistic photography of Yugoslavia, but had also been accorded many recognitions all over the world. Since 1937 he has been participating in all the important international exhibitions of artistic photography, achieving substantial successes and winning the first prizes in San Francisco, Buenos Aires, Boston, New York, Amsterdam, Berlin, Milan, Turin and Budapest. When the enemy conquered Yugoslavia in 1941, George Skrigin joined the ranks of fighters of the People's Libera-tion Army. His camera which had brought him so many recognitions, was not at a standstill even then and there. From the first day, as it were, he used his camera, under very difficult conditions, for recording almost all... Tovább

Fülszöveg

^^he style of the Zsgreb artistic photography was esteemed and well-known throughout the world In the period between the first and second world wars. One of the founders of that school, George Skrigin, is highly meritorious for that popularity, for he had not only been the champion of the artistic photography of Yugoslavia, but had also been accorded many recognitions all over the world. Since 1937 he has been participating in all the important international exhibitions of artistic photography, achieving substantial successes and winning the first prizes in San Francisco, Buenos Aires, Boston, New York, Amsterdam, Berlin, Milan, Turin and Budapest. When the enemy conquered Yugoslavia in 1941, George Skrigin joined the ranks of fighters of the People's Libera-tion Army. His camera which had brought him so many recognitions, was not at a standstill even then and there. From the first day, as it were, he used his camera, under very difficult conditions, for recording almost all significant events and personalities of that day. Out of many hundreds of photographs thus taken, George Skrigin has selected for this book 265 pictures that are most characteristic of that period. Using a light, vivid and interesting style of narration, the author is telling us about the origination of all these photographs. He is describing in a very interesting way the moments of emotion which inspired him to take exactly these photographs, and telling in a very simple, anecdotic manner a story of a hard time and people who made that time glorious. The story about the origin of these photographs begins with the author's departure from Zagreb and his joining the partisan resistance movement. The road which led from the conquered Zagreb until the liberated Belgrade was three years and 18,000 kilometers long. The seasons succeeded each other, and so did the regions while George Skrigin was passing with the army and people through Banija, Kordun, Lika, the Gorski Kotar, the Croatian Littoral, Krajina, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Montenegro, over Mt. Majevica, Dalmatia, Mt. Kozara, and in an artistic and documentary way preserving from oblivion many historical moments and important personalities of our Revolution. In a new and interesting way, the author evokes through both the text and photographs the rise of the People's Liberation Movement, beginning from the first actions of the smaller partisan groups, and over partisan battalions up to the brigades and divisions. Likewise, depicting the co-operation between the people and the partisan resistance movement, the author pictures at the same time the ways and means of the people's aid to the army, the refugees and the creation of the people's government. It also includes the First Session of AVNOJ (the Anti-fascist Council of the People's Liberation of Yugoslavia), the First Congresses of the Youth of Yugoslavia and AF2 (the Anti-fascist Women of Yugoslavia), as well as a very interesting account of the Second Session of AVNOJ illustrated with a very impressive selection of photographs. The author also recalls very vividly with the power of both his artistic photography and text all the hardships experienced during the enemy offensives. The battle for the wounded in the Canyon of the River Rama and the crossing of the River Neretva is succeeded by a relative rest in Herzegovina, to be continued, on the following pages, in the more cruel Fifth enemy offensive through the tracklessness of Mt. Zelengora. And so the offensives go on, and the photographs with the lively written captions conjure up In fancy the Sixth enemy offensive and Mt. Kozara, the Seventh offensive and Drvar as far as the Island of Vis and Belgrade. The author gives a very interesting account with photographs of his first meeting with the Supreme Commander, comrade Tito. Several artistic photographic portraits of Marshal Tito and the words describing when and under what conditions they were taken, speak warmly and humanly about the personality of the Supreme Commander.
But, besides the historical events, the master of artistic photography George Skrigin has also photographed many famous commanders and artists, while in his writing about his meetings with them he revives these great characters before our eyes.
And so they follow here successively — the portraits and stories of Sava Kovaievld, Lola Ribar, Peko Dapievld, Dragila Ivanovil and many other dead or living heroes of our Revolution.
The history of the Theatre of National Liberation, that first and unique cultural institution in the liberated tor-ratory, pervades this book as a leitmotiv. Vissza