Filipović Pegla Dražen – Untitled

About the author:

He was born in 1944 in Podravska Slatina, where he began his life journey that would take him to Rijeka, a city that would become the center of his creativity. After graduating in fine arts from the Pedagogical Academy in Rijeka, he continued his professional development, earning in 1982 the title of professor of cultural activities organization at the Faculty of Education in Rijeka.

As a prominent member of artistic associations – HDLUR (since 1980), HDLU Zagreb (since 1995), and ZUH (since 1981) – and holding the status of an independent artist since 1981, Filipović built an impressive career. He began his solo exhibition activity in 1977, while also actively participating in numerous group exhibitions, which earned him various recognitions and awards.

Critic Zdenko Rus highlighted in the 1998 exhibition catalog: “Within the given two-dimensionality of the painting, he tests the body of its objectivity, expresses an increasingly pronounced desire for the appropriation of the third dimension, that is, for the full development and spreading of the work in real space.” This comment reflects Filipović’s artistic philosophy, which constantly questions the boundaries of traditional painting, striving toward spatial expansion and interaction with the environment.

Even today, living and working in Rijeka, Dražen Filipović-Pegle remains faithful to his artistic vision that continuously reevaluates the relationships between the painting, space, and the observer. His work, which combines his pedagogical background with a research-oriented approach to visual arts, represents an important contribution to the Croatian contemporary art scene. Through his work, Filipović consistently confirms the status of an author who is not satisfied with conventional frameworks but seeks new dimensions of artistic expression.