NYC Through The Eyes Of Artist Stipan Tadić

NYC Through The Eyes Of Artist Stipan Tadić

New York City has always been an enchanting muse for artists, writers and dreamers from all walks of life. Among those who have fallen under the city’s spell is Croatian painter Stipan Tadić. The artist, whose latest exhibition, “Metropolis: 36 Views of New York,” at James Fuentes in NYC, is an extraordinary tribute to the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple.

Tadić’s 36 works are not just paintings: they are glimpses into the soul of New York. They capture the bustling streets, iconic landmarks and diverse neighborhoods of the vibrant metropolis. The artist’s unique style combines elements of comic book art with traditional painting to depict the visual experience of the city, both the bad and good. “Taking its title from Fritz Lang’s 1927 titular film and referencing Hokusai’s woodblock-print series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, the series, like its name, is a mosaic of references.”

Without over-stylizing or whitewashing, Tadić immerses his viewers in the heart of the city, a world which is “simultaneously otherworldly and familiar.” From the vantage point of his canvases, viewers feel both intimately close and objectively removed from the everyday scenes. Despite the expanse of the city’s street, Tadić’s approach goes beyond simply portraying New York. He reveals the personal, human experience by allowing his viewers to project themselves into these relatable and authentic narratives.

The exhibition is a result of Tadić’s year-long walking tour of the city, mapping the neighborhoods surrounding the D line train, from the Bronx to Coney Island. In doing so, he captures both the iconic and often overlooked aspects of this sprawling urban landscape. He “documented well-tread and lesser-known cityscapes, taking photographs, collecting historical references, and observing passers-by.” Guided by the city, Tadić’ was able to “reveal the microcultures of each enclave… a topography layered with both the quotidian and allegorical.״

Previously, Tadić explained his relationship to the city as an artistic subject, as never containing a sense of “fantasy.” As such, Metropolis: 36 Views of New York contains no illusions. It is, instead, a celebration and homage to the spirit of New York City. In building this deeper connection Tadić invites each person who views his paintings to be part of it.

Stipan Tadić was born in Zagreb, Croatia in 1986. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb in 2011 and received his MFA in Visual Arts from Columbia University School of the Arts in 2020. His first solo exhibition was in 2009, after which he has been featured in numerous solo and group presentations. Tadić received the Best Young Artist Award from HDLU, Zagreb in 2013 and was awarded 1st Prize at the International Comic Book Festival in Lodz, Poland in 2018. Tadić currently lives and works in New York.