Milica Bjelanović: A Passion That Brings Printmaking to Life!

Milica Bjelanović was born in Zrenjanin, where she still lives and works. In 1988, she graduated from the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad and went on to pursue postgraduate studies in Professor Živko Đak’s class. She has been a member of SULUV since 1989.

Milica has exhibited in more than a hundred group exhibitions at home and abroad (in Japan, Spain, Poland, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, France, and Hungary) and has taken part in more than 30 art colonies. Her works are held in collections around the world.

Why did you choose printmaking? What drew you to it?

Printmaking is very mysterious and always brings a surprise, but it also allows for experimentation. Since I work with black, white, and those subtle shades of gray, it is the easiest way for me to express feelings, emotions, and moods.

Could you choose one printmaking technique as your favorite, or at least the one you work with most often for a particular reason?

Yes, aquatint. I use it most often and like it best because it offers the most possibilities.

Your prints have traveled to many countries, and a significant number of your works are held in collections around the world. Is that an advantage of printmaking compared with painting on canvas, for example?

Yes, of course. You roll up a print, put it in a tube, and send it out into the world.

Most of your works, at least the ones we have had the chance to see, use black, white, and shades of gray, but there are also moments when you need color to fully express your idea. When does that happen?

When I need to create visual contrast or an artistic accent, I reach for color. I most often use primary colors: red, blue, and yellow. I use them as pure colors. I don’t mix them or look for a specific shade; they serve as a sensation.