Journal of Art Historiography (Dec 2019)
Baroque Art in Croatia and the Vienna School of Art History
Abstract
Art History in Croatia developed under influence of Vienna School of Art History. The ideas of Viennese art history were integrated in all fields of art history, but research of art of the Baroque period was especially close to contemporary development in Vienna. Strong negative attitude towards this period in early art history in Croatia started to gradually changing at the beginning of 20th century, primarily due to Gjuro Szabo (1875—1943). Szabo was schooled in Nuremberg and Vienna, under strong influence of Alois Riegl. In his article on Style (1914) he adopted Riegls idea of Kunstwollen and in his reports on monuments in Northern Croatia (1912—19) and the later book Kroz Hrvatsko zagorje (1939), he introduced methodology of Riegl in the evaluation of the monuments and art of baroque period. Anđela Horvat (1911—1985) applied most of the Szabo’s methodology and so prolonged influence of the Vienna School into the second half of the 20th century.
