French Influences on Artists from Serbia and Croatia in the Interwar Period (1918-1939)

Maximilian Carl Friede

April 16nd 2014

TVL 299

Looking from the Eastern periphery on the center of Europe:

French influences on artists from Serbia and Croatia in the interwar period (1918-1939)

For a long time the historical relations between Serbia and Croatia have unified and diversified the two neighboring countries at the same time. While acknowledging the cultural analogies as well as differences of these two Balkan countries., this research paper focuses on the Western European cultural influence on Serbian as well as Croatian art in the interwar period (1918-1939), by referring particularly to French art movements of that time, generated in the urban center of Paris. The aim of my research is to put the works of Serbian and Croatian artists into a context related to the leading cultural discourses in Europe, while also acknowledging the existence of their own cultural identities.

By enhancing the cultural dialogue between the two countries located at the European eastern periphery on one side with the central European and specifically French movements that led the artistic discourses of the time on the other side, this paper takes the perspective of the Serbian and Croatian artists. Some of them travelled through Europe in order to visit Paris, Munich or Capri, studying, living and/or working in these culturally active spaces before they returned, in many cases, to their home country. By taking a closer look on eight artists whose paintings reflect the influence of Western art discourses as there are Realism (1850s-1880s), Impressionism (1870s-1890s), Pointillism (1880s-1890s), Expressionism (1890S-1920S) and Fauvism (1900s-1910s), in the following I will give a brief introduction to the historical background of the Serbian experience with the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900, before presenting and shortly examining eight cases studies. Subsequently, I will come to a conclusion by summarizing some main aspects that link and contrast the Serbian and Croatian art production of the historical period between WW I and WW II.

1. Historical background

Due to the famous World Exhibition in 1900 hosted in Paris, Serbian art for the first time had an artistic presence in the western world. The rapid political restructurings also left their footprints on the culture and art. These restructurings left Serbia with a desire to redefine its identity. As a result, the Serbs were keen on focusing on their traditional byzantine roots that helped shaping and building their country. In fact, the Serbian corner at the World Exhibition in Paris was focused on displaying and telling the Serbian history of art.