Lazar Drljača

Lazar Drljača (13 October 1882 – 13 July 1970) was a Bosnian painter, draftsman, and one of the most distinctive figures of modern art in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Born in Blatna near Bosanska Krupa, he was educated in Vienna and Paris, but chose an unusual life path that set him apart from most European artists of his time.

After years of study and travel across Europe, Drljača deliberately withdrew from urban artistic circles and settled in the remote highlands of Blidinje, where he lived for decades in near isolation. There, surrounded by the raw landscapes of Herzegovina, he created a body of work deeply connected to nature, solitude, and inner contemplation.

His paintings combine elements of expressionism, symbolism, and realism. Mountain landscapes, shepherds, animals, and self-portraits dominate his work, often rendered with strong lines, dramatic contrasts, and emotional intensity. Drljača’s rejection of conventional society and his choice to live as a hermit gave his art a unique philosophical and spiritual dimension.

Today, Lazar Drljača is regarded as a singular phenomenon in Bosnian art history — an artist who consciously chose freedom, nature, and authenticity over recognition and comfort.

Quick Facts

• Full Name: Lazar Drljača
• Born: 13 October 1882, Blatna near Bosanska Krupa, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Died: 13 July 1970, Blidinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Profession: Painter, Draftsman
• Education: Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna; studies in Paris
• Known For: Mountain landscapes, self-portraits, life in isolation
• Style: Expressionism, symbolism, realism
• Legacy: Considered the “hermit painter” of Bosnia and Herzegovina