Church of Virgin Mary's Birth in Djurdjevo, Serbia
A permanent exhibit of my father's life and work is housed in this building
Self portrait by Julian Kolesar
Bust of my grandfather Dragen by Julian Kolesar
Traditional home with walnut tree in Djurdjevo, Serbia
The streets in Djurdjevo are lined with large shady walnut trees
Traditional poppy cake
Old Novi Sad, Serbia
I recently got in touch with my father's family in Serbia, who sent me photos of his paintings. Julian Kolesar 1927-1992 was born in Djurdjevo, Yugoslavia. He was a painter, sculptor, poet and ethnographer who painted icons and themes drawing from Vojvodinian Rusyn life with folky colors and emphasis on the decorative.
There's a permanent exhibit on his life and work in the museum of ethnography at the Greek Catholic parish in Djurdjevo, and his papers are held in the National Archives of Canada in Ottawa.
I remember as a child playing with sketching paper larger than myself in his home studio in Montreal that smelled of drying oil and gouache.
Most of these paintings are from private collections in Canada, the US and Serbia.