Illustration in Croatia at the Turn of the 20th Century

Curić, Irena. (2018). Illustration in Croatia at the Turn of the 20th Century. Diploma Thesis. Filozofski fakultet u Zagrebu, Department of Art History. [mentor Dulibić, Frano].

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Abstract

The paper presents a summary of the most important events at the turn of the 20th century concerning production and illustration of books. The turn of the 20th century is a period of colliding politicial influences in Croatia, with various stylistic tendencies existing all at once, while book as an object of everyday use, which contains written word, became an object of aesthetic value, due to the rapid development of the printing business and book trade. Although Croatia was under great influence of the Austria-Hungary, Croatian artists, educated in European capitals such as Vienna or Munich, started to dominate the art scene. Illustration in that period can be divided into several thematic categories: patriotic and historical subjects, nature as inspiration, symbolism and religious subjects, and human figure which can be further divided into female figure and caricature. Stylistically, at the turn of the 20th century there is a great ongoing struggle between the legacy of the 19th century and the emerging new style coming from Western Europe and Vienna. Despite the conflicts, due to the flourishing of the applied arts and opening of the School For Arts and Crafts in Zagreb, the turn of the century artists paved the way for some of the most valuable pieces of Croatian illustration.

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