Croatian art

The influence of metal working techniques can be seen as potters construct with sheets of clay giving distinct edges where surfaces meet and the final pot is burnished for a gleaming look.

The distinctive Vučedol Dove is a pot in the shape of a bird, somewhat stylized, with impressed patterning around its body, a double-headed axe (labrys) on its neck and three legs for stability.

Other Greeks came from Syracuse on Sicily in 390 BC to the islands of Vis (Issa), Hvar (Pharos), and Korčula (Corcyra Nigra) founding city-states amongst the Illyrian ethno-tribal groups.

Nearby, the Emperor Diocletian, who was born in Salona, built his retirement palace (in approx 300 AD), one of the largest and most important monuments of late antique architecture.

In the 7th century the Croats, with other Slavs and Avars, came from Eastern Europe to the area of the former Roman provinces of Pannonia, Dalmatia and Istria where they live up to the present day.

In the Vatican there is a Breviary, also in Monte Cassino Benedictine style (initials of intertwined leaves, interlace and animal heads) which originates from monastery of St. Nicola in Osor.

Cities such as Poreč, Rab, Zadar, Trogir and Split were built along the Dalmatian coast with stone houses and large imposing churches with three naves, three apses, columns, arches, arcades and a wooden roof.

Also in Split cathedral, the carving on the wooden choir stalls dates to the mid-13th century, with beautiful Romanesque motifs of interwoven vines, figures of saints and a small beastiary.

Scenes from the life of Christ from the Annunciation to the Resurrection appear in the arches above the door, with the Nativity occupying the central position of the tympanum, which was unusual for the time.

The realism of such scenes, and the representation of everyday life of the people is a move to Gothic ideas, with its focus on contemporary humanist issues and real characters.

Urban organization and evolution of Dalmatian cities can be followed through the continued development and expansion of Rab and Trogir, the regulation of streets in Dubrovnik, and the integration of Split.

At the end of the 15th century, the majority of the coastal region was administered by Venice, and churches, palaces, cloisters, loggias, clock towers and fountains began to appear, which were influenced by Venetian Gothic: not just in structure and construction, but on the emphasis of decorative elements.

[14] Juraj Dalmatinac also worked in Split (Chapel of St. Anastasius in the Cathedral), Dubrovnik, Zadar and Ancona, while his followers spread the Venetian Gothic style throughout the whole of Dalmatia.

[15] One of the most outstanding works of art from the 14th century in Dalmatia is the large silver chest made for the relics of St Simeon in Zadar (1377-1380), with a portrait of the saint himself on the lid.

[16] Possibly the best-known series of late Gothic frescoes in Istria is in the Church of St Mary on the Rocks (Sv Marija na Škriljinah) near Beram, dating from 1474.

Across the back wall, the cycle of life panels conclude with the Danse Macabre (Dance of Death), in which everyone meets their fate - rich or poor, all must die in the end.

[15] The Renaissance period of art and architecture in Croatia can be said to begin in 1441, when Juraj Dalmatinac was contracted to work on Šibenik Cathedral, and continued to the end of the 16th century.

The quality of the sculptures of Christ, Mary and the apostles in their individual niches, with reliefs of playful putti above and below make the chapel a memorable example of Renaissance art.

Inside the protective walls of the Republic of Dubrovnik, and on several of the nearby islands, many Ragusan nobles built their country retreats, elegant villas set in renaissance gardens.

[19] The artists of the Dubrovnik Painting School, such as Nikola Božidarević,[24][25] Lovro Dobričević and his son Vicko Lovrin, Mihajlo Hamzić, Blaž Jurijev Trogiranin and Ivan Ugrinović, began a tradition of art in the city that continues to the present.

Meanwhile as the invading Ottomans were pushed back, the north would gradually emerge from a century of war, to improve fortifications, rebuild devastated towns, and enjoy a revival of the arts.

Between the slow recovery of the inland population after the war, and the preference in the coastal regions to employ foreign artists and sculptors, it was mainly Italians, Austrian and Slovenes who created and decorated the many Baroque buildings in Croatia.

The ornate Baroque style originated in Rome as a reaction to the counter-reformation in northern Europe, and the Jesuits played a major role in introducing it to Croatia.

Pietro Passalaqua[23] united the new baroque areas with his Jesuit Stairway, (reminiscent of the famous Spanish Steps in Rome) which led to the Ivan Gundulić Square below.

One of the most beautiful is the church of Maria of the Snow in Belec from 1740 with the entire interior filled with lively gilded wooden sculptures, and frescoes by the painter Ivan Ranger from Austria.

Along with rooms in Pompeii style and renaissance cabinet, the large neo-baroque "Golden Hall" contains historic paintings by Bela Čikoš-Sesija (The Baptism of Croats and Split Council), Oton Iveković (Meeting of Koloman and Croatian Nobility), Mato Celestin Medović (The Arrival of Croats), Vlaho Bukovac (Franz Joseph in Zagreb) and decorated with reliefs by Robert Frangeš-Mihanović.

[31] The Medulic Society of sculptors and painters from Split brought themes of national history and legends to their art,[32] and some of the artwork following the First World War contained a strong political message against the ruling Austro-Hungarian state.

The Zagreb Spring Salon provided an annual showcase of the local art scene, and a big change was noticeable in 1919 with a move to flatter forms, and signs of Cubism and expressionism were evident.

[33] In the 1950s, Antun Motika, one of the most celebrated modern Croatian artists together with Ivan Meštrović, generated a strong reaction from the critics with his exhibition of drawings Archaic Surrealism (Arhajski nadrealizam).

[37] The exhibition had a lasting effect on Croatian art circles,[38] and is generally considered to be the boldest rejection of the dogmatic frameworks of socialist realism in Croatia.