Historiography, Memory and Art: Croatia's Early Medieval Heritage and Croatian Art during the First Half of the 20th Century

• In Event: 925-2025: Memories of the 1100th Anniversary of the Kingdom of Croatia

Abstract

The study of medieval Croatian history (9th to the beginning of the 12th century), when Croatia had its own rulers, began to have an increasingly strong influence on contemporary Croatian art from the end of the 19th century. The use of the past by Croatian architects, painters, sculptors and graphic designers became particularly evident on the eve of World War I, when Croatia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, and in the period between the World Wars, when, in connection with the celebration of the so-called 1000th anniversary of the Croatian Kingdom, a series of memorials to the first Croatian king, Tomislav, were erected, as well as a series of church buildings based on early medieval architecture. This presentation will show how historiographical research strongly influenced the formation of a nationalized visual language that still has a presence in Croatia today.

Author

• Dragan Damjanovic, U of Zagreb (Croatia)