Emanuel Vidović

Emanuel Vidović
Emanuel Vidović in 1936
Born	(1870-12-24)24 December 1870 Split, Austria-Hungary (today's Croatia)
Died	1 June 1953(1953-06-01) (aged 82) Split, SFR Yugoslavia (today's Croatia)
Nationality	Croat
Education	Venice
Known for	Oil painting, Gouache, Graphic arts, Pastels
Movement	Impressionism, Art Nouveau, Modern Art

Emanuel Božidar Vidović (1870–1953), was a painter and graphic artist from Split, Croatia.

Emanuel Vidović was instrumental in bringing the modern art ideas to Split. From 1900 he was an active member of the Literary-Art Club, and in 1907, together with Ivan Meštrović, he founded the Medulić Society. Though he had trained at the Academy of Arts in Venice, he never completed his formal studies, preferring instead to paint scenes of Venice – interiors, views of canals, lagoons and motifs from around the town of Chioggia. In 1898, he returned to his home city of Split, bringing new ideas of post-impressionist style light and intense colour. He painted plein air landscapes, and more stylized, larger canvases back in his studio. His early work contained literary allusions to South Slavic history and legends, in an art nouveau style. Later work would become darker, with brighter accents, and expressionist style black outlines around forms. His landscapes, and especially his later interiors of churches around Split and Trogir were well received by critics and the public.

Vidović was elected a corresponding member of the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts in 1949. He exhibited his work at solo and group shows within Croatia and abroad. For many years he was Professor of Drawing at the High School, and at the School of Crafts in Split.

In 1986, the Emanuel Vidović Gallery was opened in Split, featuring the life and works of the artist.

Vidović was the first child of Ivan Vidović from Split, and Paškva (née Grubić) from nearby Solin. He was born on Christmas Eve 1870 in a stone cottage in the Veli Varoš area of city. After elementary school, he attended the Imperial Royal High School (Cesarsko-kraljevsku Veliku Realku) in Split, where he studied drawing with the architect and painter Emil Vecchietti.

In 1887, the 17-year-old Vidović enrolled as a student of sculpture at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Venice. He transferred to the painting department, but was dissatisfied with the conservatism of the teaching, and in 1890 gave up his formal studies. He struggled for a time to support himself, painting scenes around Venice. In 1892 he arrived in Milan, where he worked at Famiglia Artistica.