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by creskikaic
Mate Solis, a Cres academic artist for whom the wooden boat was an inexhaustible inspiration in his rich artistic opus, joined the “Cres kaic” project from the very beginning.
The exhibition “In memoriam Mate Solis” will be prepared by Inge Solis, and can be visited in the gallery, on Frane Petrić Square from August 17, 2020.
“IN MEMORIAM MATE SOLIS”
Mate was born in 1935. He spent his childhood on the island of Cres and, as the painter himself says, the rite of his life began there; with the scent of incense, braids of girls, the breath of grandfather, the sound of the sea…
In 2019, on the same island, Mate (Teo) Solis completed the ritual of his life.
His painting talent was discovered early, but at the urging of his father Giovanni, who wanted a safe life as a craftsman for his son. Solis spent 3 years in the Cres shipyard learning to build wooden boats. Hence his knowledge of the structure of wooden boats with which he remained fascinated for the rest of his life and which are his inspiration and the most common theme of his paintings.
He began his art education in 1952 at the School of Applied Arts, and then continued at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. He graduated in 1962. After traveling and exploring, he returns to the island.
On his Cres, Solis did the impossible. He managed to survive and make a living from his art. In the wonderful ambience of his estate, Solis created a Mediterranean paradise, his “CENTRUM UNIVERSUM” (center of the world) in which he lived, created and tirelessly painted until the last day of his life.
Inge Solis
