Art history

The young state of Croatia never had the opportunity to develop an artistic style of its own; instead it adapted and varied the signature style of its occupiers. Thus in Croatia today one finds a unique mixture of Ottoman, Venetian and Austro-Hungarian culture, which is still omnipresent particularly in architecture and iconostases. Since the respective occupying powers occupied Croatia precisely at the height of their power, they were always wealthy enough to invest a great deal in prestige and art - which was to the Croats' advantage and an incentive for neighbouring powers to want to take possession of the little Adriatic state as well, whereupon new influences again found their way into Croatian art. Thus the history of art and culture is more many-sided, more interesting and richer than that of many other countries - just not as isolated and autonomous.

The oldest works of art created in Croatia are today found in the national history museums: vessels and jewellery from near Zadar and Sibenik, working tools from the islands of Brac, Vis and Hvar go back to craftsmen of the Stone Age. Excavated bronze wares and, for example, the Kairos relief of Trogir are dated to the time of the Greeks and Romans, who brought the formerly nomadic tribes of Dalmatia, besides aqueducts, thermal baths and trade goods, particular refinements of metalworking and sculpture as well. The architecture of the new immigrants survives today only in ruins: out in the countryside in particular one can here and there still see the foundation walls of Roman country houses. Palaces in the antique style, on the other hand, were built by locals who had lived in Rome for a long time and had grown accustomed to splendour and pomp. The Palace of Diocletian is probably the most impressive example here. Utility buildings were marked by a certain pragmatism: while Christianisation advanced in the Balkans, the richer families traded above all in Rome. They, and only they, were in the financial position to erect new houses of God, and for this they took their bearings from the practical market halls they knew from Italy. After all, what they needed above all was a place for gatherings and less an ornately outfitted decorative building. Thus arose what we know today as the basilica. When the administration of the Dalmatian province was then moved from Rome to Byzantium, the Croats discovered the beauty of domed buildings and geometric ornamentation. So the churches still preserved today bear witness that this region was the interface between East and West not only economically.

Romanesque buildings from the 11th to 13th century, several of which have indeed survived above all in the larger cities, can be recognised by their twin or triple windows, the regularly arranged, rough stone slabs and the smoothly ground frames. Croatian marble was readily used for construction and was also a popular export commodity - and so the villas in Italy actually look like the Croatian ones, even if from a Central European standpoint it seems exactly the other way round! Only towards the end of the Romanesque period, on the threshold of the Gothic, did Croatia find its outstanding artist of the age: Master Radovan created the famous cathedral portal in Trogir and pleasingly set himself apart from his teachers and predecessors through creativity and artistic skill.

The present townscape of most cities was determined in the 14th and 15th century by Gothic master builders. Whereas previously anyone could build where and how they liked, now every façade, every balcony, every storey had to be carefully thought through and first approved. In hindsight, visitors and residents appreciate this bureaucracy. Furthermore, most defensive works also date from the Gothic age, since one now had to defend oneself against the troops from Turkey. On the side, however, artists fortunately still had opportunity enough to create a few works that are truly worth seeing: be it the gilded sarcophagus in Zadar, the altar panels in Trogir or the manuscript collection in Split.

The Renaissance was, in Croatia and above all in Dubrovnik, the time of the summer houses. Almost every family that thought something of itself - and wanted the neighbours to do so too - built itself a second residence on the coast. In doing so, people tried less to imitate the representative Venetian style than to develop an architecture of their own along the lines of "form follows function". Yet where public buildings such as churches, cathedrals and, for example, the Rector's Palace of Ragusa were concerned, more value was again placed on decorative capitals, harmonious loggias and outward effect in general. Anyone who did not take their bearings from the Serenissima turned their gaze in the opposite direction and studied the endless, interwoven decorative bands of the Ottoman Empire, the domed ceilings and the almost column-free rooms. As much as people in Croatia resisted the rule of the Turks, so much did they let themselves be inspired by their building style. In painting too Croatia experienced a new flowering during the Renaissance: Italian masters such as Tintoretto and Titian came to Dalmatia to exchange ideas here with local greats such as Medulic and Klovic.

Churches, monasteries and school buildings sprang from the ground in such numbers in the time of Austrian rule that the country of Croatia is not financially able to maintain all these cultural assets as they deserve. Only the most beautiful and most important buildings, with their typical sweeping lines, playful façades and German-Austrian-inspired style, are still well preserved today. They are found above all in the interior of the country, since in the 17th century the coastal region was just then sliding past its economic zenith, while the rural areas profited from the withdrawal of the Ottoman army.

The practical hotel complexes and blocks of flats that were rapidly thrown up after the Second World War and with the rise of tourism are functional rather than pretty. "Assured, consistent Bauhaus" would be a euphemistic description. But fortunately there are not all that many of them, and the eye has ample opportunity to contemplate older, more artful structures. One of the finer buildings of the 20th century, well worth seeing, is undoubtedly the villa of the painter and sculptor Meštrović, which has by now been converted into a museum. The brilliant and critical artist had it rebuilt to his own plans and had a sculpture garden laid out in the grounds. In it you can follow Meštrović's work across the decades and his comments on Croatian history, politics and future.