Panting of Luka Berberović has demonstrated the individuality, because of theme much artistic individuality,  is difficult to locate the style. It persists beyond the terminology acceptable qualifications. In order to be in this regard determine closer, we come to the point that according to characteristics can be locate in a large family fantasy painting, which is the art of Montenegro, formerly occupied a dominant position. Luka’s temper is closer to lyrical, poetic variants Mediterranean provenance before orthodox surrealism Dado  Đurić or Uroš Tošković which is close to this generation ...

                                                                                   Zdravko Vučinić

Luka Berberović

                                                                                                                    Luka Berberović was born in Morinj, Boka Kotorska, in 1934 year. Academy of Applied Arts, Department of Painting finished in Belgrade in 1958 year. He is a member of Association of Artists of Montenegro since 1960 year. For many years, he has worked in education: he was a professor at the famous art school in Herceg Novi from 1959 till 1966 year. At the Academy of Pedagogy in Nikšić - Department of Painting, he taught as a professor from 1969 till1987 year. He had over forty solo and group exhibitions in the country and abroad. He has received prestigious awards for the visual arts.

We come in Morinj in narrow cobblestone streets. It is a little bit difficult to find the house of Luka Berberović , our famous painter. However, under the instructions we reach the destination. It's Sunday, the November sun followed us through the Morinj, here is stalled in the surrounding hills and feels light freshness. Luke met us on the street. Cheerful, cordial greetings and friendly welcome contribute to stay longer than planned. We placed it in the living room surrounded by Luka’s paintings that adorn white walls. Here is the piano, guitar, and on the corner is the fireplace. It is a nice and warm atmosphere. On the floor is Luka’s studio, with lots of light and heat from a window on the roof. Luka shows us the studio, photos, and at the comments that the house is beautifully decorated, he added: "The house is like a woman. If she doesn’t put make up, it is useless."

How important is honesty to you?

In conversation, we need to be honest when it comes to art, and when we are talking about people. You do not need to lie. I always feel bad when I do something that is not nice so I can think after maybe ten years after what stupid things I said or did. The one that I said or did wrong, maybe it does not remember, has his concerns. However, I remember.

Is honesty the vertical that you are living in the art?

It must live like that; even art cannot be otherwise. After the war, he was a socialist realism in theater, art and literature. It is pathetic. People have seen what it is, is that they quickly broke away; it could not survive on poor foundations insincere slogan. Without any real basis, nothing can be done. We set out to build some kind of society, and it is perhaps can happen in some ideal conditions that are utopia. The time we live in is far from ideal. Lie about it comes with it cannot live. It cans those who for some reason lie. There is a positive lie. It should be known which lie is useful. I remember my exhibition twelve years ago in Herceg Novi. It was raining. At the exhibition came Veljko Milatović.  I see little, I told him that I did not recognize him, so I encouraged him, although I saw that he was not good. He told me: Ah, Luka, I know this story, I know myself the best.

He read your good intention?

Yes, but I wanted to cheer him a little, just for a moment. He really made an effort to come to my show, miserable and plus was raining. He urprised me. He loved art.

What was the time when you were a student?

Well, I think that every time had its own peculiarities. We lived after the war differently. The system was different, other economies, other economic standards. This also reflected in the painting; however, everything is different when you are young. Then we all looked rosy. Why?Because in front of us you can see the future. You look the future differently now because you are younger than me.

You have lived through creative and artistic life.

I did. There were all sorts of things, good and bad, worse, when I'm concerned. It had to be that way, but I cannot say that I am displeased with that. Do you know in what sense? What I did then and later is not the same. Now is the stagnation of other reasons, but it is, however, in favor of newer what I do. It's a better, more mature, smarter. It takes time to achieve all this. However, I would say that garnered applause, I know the place, you do not need great wisdom, or looking for something great that I get, I'm talking about what I was and what I did as I could, and later as I did. So much progress is evident, and it pleases me. I'm not talking about comparisons with others only I talk about my work.

You are the biggest competition to yourself.

To myself, I'm struggling, I doing, I trying. I am following what others are doing, so I mostly learned were I am and what I could take it here. What is it that I could see there, and what is welcoming for me?

When Luka Berberović became interested in painting?

I do not remember. I was a child. If a book was found in front of me, I drew on it, something drew me to it. Many more people have a sense of some of the activities, but the thing is you are not preoccupied with it, especially later. Somewhere in 1955, I was at the exhibition in Belgrade, which was called the "Visual experience of the child" in the gallery ULUS. They were extraordinary works. Thrilled, I asked my professor, a famous critic Pavle Vasić, the doyen of Yugoslav criticism: "Professor, what's that?" And he said: "Well, you know Luko (they called me Luko in Belgrade, not Luka), one of them will be auto mechanic, one will be a drunkard, one of them will be teacher, will be one physician, one will be fine, and maybe some of them will be a painter. "That should happen, people are beginning to roll, it is enthusiastic at one time for something, and after thinking otherwise. In other circumstances, it is not always situation where everything is conducive to develop something.

Is music was a competition to your painting?

As a child I wanted to pursue with a music career, not to be a professional, I loved the music. However, I wanted painting. Maybe I accomplished more in music, because people say, I am a good tenor. Today music does not pulling, here was radio, I do not even know where it is, I have not turned on him for years. I always cherished in the studio and in society, but even for a moment, I did not think I could deal with the music. There is one interesting thing that I want to tell. Ones in the Radio Titograd Cassals Pablo was a guest, a famous cellist, and when asked him what he wanted to be if was not a musician, cellist, he said - I'd be a painter. It seems that music and the fine arts generally are associated. For example, Vojo Stanić is a very musical person. Bato Pravilović sang beautifully. Puro Djurić loved guitar and singing. So, not all, there are those who have not sense of music at all, but mostly are related to music in some way.

With the primary source of creativity, however, somewhere there is a link between music and painting.

Yes, it does. Well, there is one style in modern art painting called Orphism and his supporters wanted to express the inner colors of music experience. What I saw was different, maybe not that subtle enough, because there are people with a wider range of knowledge, especially in this big world where a lot during the day can see, unlike me, who live in a small forgotten rural area. Orphism is the avant-garde artistic movement originated in 1911 in France. Has been named after the mythical singer / player Orpheus. Orphists usually use "abstract" rounds, i.e. rings of different bright colors, long or sometimes like the wave of sound. Orphistics pictures have never entirely pointless, because the compositions remained always at least a slight backbone forms recognizable reality: the open window, the Eiffel Tower, the plane or something else. The main representatives of Orphism are Robert and Sonia Delaunay.

Which painting technique allows you expression of the highest quality?

As students, we usually used watercolor, a tempera bit. However, I use most of the time oil and pastel. Oil is created because of that time knowledge. At maturity, I realized that something's wrong with the color, it's not right, sometimes I am out of colors, sometimes I am little tough, thin, sparse, and something like that. Then I realized that maybe pastel helped me more with the complete expression. Why pastel? Pastel is interesting that on each color has its pastel stick. Generally, but it is not always like that, because so many pastels I did by myself and with a small amount of colors I achieved similar effects as with more pastels. There are up to 360 colors. Nikola Vujošević used to have sets of 300 or more colors, and he picks up that he needs, and I work with 40 or 60 and then see how to accomplish what I want and that's after the oil painting helped me a lot. Oil is other material; you can not experiment, I tried it. It can not simply every technique, every material has its own characteristics and it works like that. The artist for what he wants to express will take the material at that moment he need it the most. Maybe something can do in a watercolor and can not in oil. Similarly, stone and bronze have not the same potential for expression of the artist. I quite appreciate a sculpture, but I'm pretty indifferent to wood compare to stone and bronze. Although I do not do this, but there is something that I personally miss in wood, or maybe I was not know type of wood that would delighted me, as I experience when I see a stone or bronze...

(Read the complete interview of the printed issue of Renome number 7.)

Interviewed by: Radmila Krgovic