Svjetlan Junakövić: Croatia ⋆ Illustrator

Svjetlan Junaković was born in Zagreb, Croatia in 1961. Although drawing came first for Junaković—he made his own cartoon films with a 8mm camera and drew strip cartoons as a child—his artistic interests were mainly based in sculpture, which he studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan. It was not until he studied in the Cite Internationale des Arts in Paris that he reignited his interest in illustration, and he immediately became much more serious about this artistic mode. In addition to having published over 300 illustrated books, Junaković mentors young artists through his teaching in Austria, Italy, and Spain.

Junaković is a truly multi-skilled artist, delving into the art of painting, sculpture, and illustrating. However, it is his experience with drawing that is at the core of his artistic work, where he breathes life, humor, and wit into the stories he tells through text and image. His distinctive artistic style imbues other authors' plots and characters with pictorial life, while enhancing the narration and story for young readers. Junaković does not impose limitations on his illustrations, nor does he subscribe to trends or mainstream patterns of children's books. Instead, his distinct style and narrative voice characterize a forward momentum of writing and illustration.

Junaković's emphasis on play is evident in those books that fold over, open up, and come to life. As well, he has received much popular and critical success. Animagicals (2001) was listed on the Amazon.com Top 10 (editor's choice) after publication. His picture book My Way was adapted into an animated film that was nominated for and awarded many prizes. The Great Book of Animal Portraits (2006) reinterprets famous Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical works of art, exchanging animal subjects for the people that made them famous. These books and others have been translated into many languages.

His works are so sophisticated that both children and adults enjoy them. He engages with a wide range of formats, as he navigates easily between book form, scenography and puppet design, international exhibitions, magazines, and sculptures. He has won awards as diverse as multiple Grigor Vitez Prizes, the Fran Levstik Award, the Prix Chronos de Litterature, and the Milan Čečuk Award. He has two daughters and continues his artistic life focused on crafting stories for children and young people.