These paintings are the work of outsider artist Ivan Rabuzin (1921 – 2008). Rabuzin grew up in the picturesque village Zagorje, Croatia, moving to the capital Zagreb in the late 1940s to become a carpenter. There he took art classes to develop his interest in painting, but never attempted a career. At the age of 41 he became an artist full time, a dream he never felt possible.
We love his paintings for their rose-tinted sweetness, pastels, flowers and happy nature! It is always special to discover new outsider artists who have produced art all there lives, almost in secret, without ever attempting to make a career of it. There is a purity in art created not for the consumption of others, but only from a self-satisfying desire to create. These days the Internet and social media provides a platform for everyone to profile themselves (not that that’s a bad thing!), but art of Rubuzin’s kind is a rare find.
