Vjekoslav Karas

Vjekoslav Karas (19 May 1821 - 5 July 1858) was a Croatian painter, considered a pioneer of a new era of Croatian painting and art in general. Born in Karlovac, Croatia, Karas was educated in Italy. He mostly painted biblical and religious themes but he was best known for his work on portraits. In addition to painting, he also played the flute and the guitar. In 1848 Karas returned to Croatia and taught at the Institute of Fine Arts in Zagreb. By then, he was suffering from depression and attempted to commit suicide after which he spent some time living under the protection of bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer. In 1858, still suffering from depression and living in poverty, Karas committed suicide by drowning in the Korana river in his native Karlovac.