post-impressionism from Paris. The Munich Circle used values to create volume in their paintings, in a style much simplified from more detailed earlier, academic style. The Medulic Society of sculptors and painters from Split brought themes of national history and legends to their art, and some of the artwork following the First World War contained a strong political message against the ruling Austro-Hungarian state. The Zagreb Spring Salon provided an annual showcase of the local art scene, and a big change was noticeable in 1919 with a move to flatter forms, and signs of cubism and expressionism were evident. The avant-garde Zenit Group of the 1920s pushed for integrating the new art forms with the native cultural identity. At the same time, the Earth Group sought to reflect reality and social issues in their art, a movement that also saw the development of naive art. The 1930s saw a return to more simple, classical styles. Following the Second World War, artists everywhere were searching for meaning and identity, leading to abstract expressionism in the U.S. and art informel in Europe. In the new Yugoslavia, the communist social realism style never took hold, but Exat 51 showed the way with geometric abstraction in paintings and simplified spaces in architecture. In the 1950s, Antun Motika, one of the most celebrated modern Croatian artists together with Ivan Meštrović, generated a strong reaction from the critics with his exhibition of drawings Archaic Surrealism (Arhajski nadrealizam). The exhibition had a lasting effect on Croatian art circles, and is generally considered to be the boldest rejection of the dogmatic frameworks of socialist realism in Croatia. The Gorgona Group of the 1960s advocated non-conventional forms of visual expression, published their own anti-magazine, and were preoccupied by the absurd. At the same time, the New Tendencies series of exhibits held in conjunction with meetings displayed a more analytical approach to art, and a move towards New Media, such as photography, video, computer art, performance art and installations, focused more on the artists' process. The Biafra Group of the 1970s was figurative and expressionist, engaging their audience directly. By the 1980s, the New Image movement brought a return to more traditional painting and images. See also Croatian Architecture List of Croatian sculptors History of Croatia Croatian literature Theatre in Croatia Music of Croatia :Category:World Heritage Sites in Croatia References Further reading External links Croatia Arts and Literature Croatian cultural