Miro Sinovcic’s Impressionistic Style Makes Quite an Impression on the Art World

Art vies for the hearts and minds of viewers. Fine oil on canvas paintings, though two dimensional, strive to capture the life and story of an object or scene. Great works go a bit further to successfully play and stir our imagination. If you had the opportunity to view Miro Sinovcic’s creations you might come to your own conclusion that in fact both of the above attributes are captured in his work. His oil-on-canvas paintings have several specific qualities, one being that they have a continuous dynamic – by that I mean the scene you are viewing is in constant fluctuation and motion. The paintings take on a different life depending on the angle or distance they are being viewed from. This exceptional quality can be partly attributed to the artist’s unique impressionistic/realistic/abstract style. His use of the infinite color spectrum, which bombards the canvas like a harmonious snow blizzard also, adds to this effect. Sinovcic’s use of light gives a pulse to the limited two-dimensional scene on the vulnerable piece of cloth. The paintings of Miro Sinovcic are in themselves amazing but what is even equally fascinating is that he developed his unique style just two years ago, when he consciously decided to become a fine artist. So I asked this amazing artist to elaborate on his life, work and his recent transformation.

Miro Sinovcic was born in Siberia in May 1945 in what was a Russian prison camp. In 1941 his father Marin, who was from the island of Šolta, and his mother, Anamaria, a native of Makarska, went on a six-month business trip via boat (slepu) to Russia. The Second World War broke out while they were in Russia and his parents were taken to Siberia’s prison camps where foreigners and war prisoners were held. He returned to Croatia with his mother in October 1946. His father died in the prison camp one month before their return.

Sinovcic spent most of his adult life in Zagreb where he studied architecture, graduating with a degree in 1973. As a boy, Sinovcic loved to draw comic strips. At the age of 15 the young teen landed in the capable hands of Zarko Beker, a famous comic strip artist. “Mr. Beker was my mentor. Shortly after my graduation he helped me get a job as a commercial/graphic artist for Vjesnik where I worked for seven years before going out on my own,” he recalls fondly. This was now his chosen path. He came to the U.S. in 1985 with his wife and two children, Morana and Roko. Sinovcic continued to ply his trade as a commercial artist and made a name for himself in the competitive New York commercial art scene and a comfortable living illustrating for the publishing, advertising and motion picture industries. His art has appeared on more than one thousand book covers.

“Two years ago I decided to become a fine artist and pursue the life of a starving artist which is often associated with the trade. This of course is no easy task, partly because you have to reinvent yourself and at the same time you have to make certain you don’t actually starve but make a living doing it. The transformation is challenging to say the least. I started working on my own style which took more than six months to develop. Sure, I cursed in Croatian and lots of my attempts ended up in the garbage, but I persisted. You see, as a commercial artist you do paint oil-on-canvas and you want to show every detail of the subject or object. In my current style the opposite is true; the images are a bit abstract so I had to unlearn 30-plus years’ worth of work. I don’t paint the car, just the impression of a car. My paintings do not represent a still moment in time,” says the prolific artist.

He had a strategy to develop the fine artist within. First, he works off of a four-by-six inch photograph. This allows his imagination to fill in the images that are not clearly seen in the photograph. The other important aspect is his use of a large brush, a no. 12. “The large brush forces me to leave out the details of the image I’m recreating; this is what I want. I’m deliberately breaking with my past. This technique is a culmination of my life’s work. The thing to remember when you’re painting is that the first brush stroke is connected to every other one and most of the time it determines the outcome of the painting. The first stroke of a dark blue color will likely give you a dark blue sky, but that’s not where the painting may be going, so you have to scrape off the undesired dark blue sky. I’ve come to know that I’m not a landscape artist. I prefer the ruggedness and dynamic of New York City. It could be related to my studies of architecture,” says the craftsman.

Sinovcic’s paintings are in demand now, especially the ones with themes of New York City. “Two years ago, I begged to be represented. Now well-known and respected galleries in Greenwich Village, Soho and the like are asking me to show my work and that feels good. I don’t know the formula for being a successful artist. I do know that as an artist you have to interact with the world. You cannot be a hermit and isolate yourself, rather you have to sell yourself and your art. I also know that the U.S. market is one of the best in the world. If you make it here you are guaranteed exposure abroad. As in every business there are gate-keepers. Sometimes, the right critic can make a big difference in one’s career. There are several dominant galleries that put on big events several times a year. To be invited to those exhibits has its career benefits. I hope to be invited by the heavyweights someday but for now I keep working hard so as to improve my craft and continue to promote my work.”

His paintings cost anywhere from two to eight thousand dollars and of course the galleries take half for their efforts. The paintings take from a week to 14 days to complete. American corporations have begun to buy the master’s paintings as have individuals here and abroad. The demand is increasing quite rapidly. Judging by the artist’s work, it’s just a matter of time before he hits the big leagues and his prices become unreachable for the common folks.

What drives you and your work? “Nobody decides to become an artist. It’s a drive that lives in your body and heart wanting to come out. Art is not a conscious process - it comes from the gut. I’m trying to be and do what my heart tells me. I’m also at a stage in my life where my health is most important to me. I paint 12 to 14 hours per day, it’s physically demanding. To break away from my studio life I ski and play tennis. This is a good balance for me. I highly recommend it to others. I hope to spend more time in Solta. When I’m there I get a deep feeling that I belong,” explains the artist softly, reflecting on his father’s birthplace. Sinovcic’s personality and character may also make a very positive impression on you. He is witty, quick with a joke for all occasions and at the same time there’s an intellect in pursuit at every step of the conversation. His disposition can only help his work.

When you experience Miro Sinovcic’s art you realize the infinite strokes that went into making one simple figure. The paintings are imperfectly perfect. The images are not quite in focus as the artist represents the objects in such a way that they’re struggling to obtain their pure identity in a sea of organized spectrum of noise and chaos.

Sinovcic has been married to his wife Melinda for the past eleven years, a nurse and supporter of his work. His sister Natalia lives in Zagreb, his brother Vincent in the U.S. He is proud that his children are college educated and striving to better themselves as he takes the same measurements in the practice of his craft. If you compare Sinovcic’s work to that of van Gogh or Claude Monet you may discover that they have nothing on his but a history of being a bit bizarre.

(Originaly published in Croatian Chronicle, March,  2006)