State policy and the arts

This volume compiles a selection of papers that were originally presented at the international conference, Art and Politics in Europe in the Modern Period, held at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Zagreb from June 29 to July 2, 2016. The main aim of the conference, and therefore of this volume as well, was to establish a comprehensive perspective on the intricate relationships between art and political regimes as seen from various vantages and based on different discourses (governmental, social, economic, religious, gender, ethnic and the like) in the period from the 15th century until the present.

Attempts to explore and define in more detail, both diachronically and synchronically, relationships and mutual influences between state bodies and art production, communication, education and reception have for decades formed an important part of numerous explorations in various academic disciplines such as art history, history, anthropology, sociology, education etc. The conference aims to provide insights into the current knowledge and interpretations of these relations from the 18th century to the present day, i.e. from the period in which Europe states went through intense centralization, leading to the growth of their influence on artistic production, public cultural and artistic institutions and education. In all these contexts, the term “state” is taken to stand for a politically organized body of people usually occupying a definite territory and the political organization of such a body of people (Merriam Webster Dictionary).
Regardless of whether they were monarchies, republics, federations or centralized states, state bodies played an extremely important role in the production of art and in the institutionalization of knowledge, culture and art in all parts of Europe and throughout the aforementioned period. By fabricating its visual identity, commissioning works from artists whom it considered close, and censoring those segments of art production that it judged potentially dangerous to its survival, the state has largely been shaping the art scene in all parts of Europe. Additionally, states’ cultural and educational policies have influenced (and still does) the shaping of knowledge about the arts and teaching content in the field of art (history) on all educational levels.
The conference therefore welcomes contributions that deal with approaches to interpretation of these phenomena and various topics in the broad field of art history (painting, sculpture, applied arts, graphic design, photography, architecture, urban planning, curricula and study programmes in art history, etc.) but also other humanities disciplines.

Attempts to explore and define in more detail, both diachronically and synchronically, relationships and mutual influences between state bodies and art production, communication, education and reception have for decades formed an important part of numerous explorations in various academic disciplines such as art history, history, anthropology, sociology, education etc. The conference aims to provide insights into the current knowledge and interpretations of these relations from the 18th century to the present day, i.e. from the period in which Europe states went through intense centralization, leading to the growth of their influence on artistic production, public cultural and artistic institutions and education. In all these contexts, the term “state” is taken to stand for a politically organized body of people usually occupying a definite territory and the political organization of such a body of people (Merriam Webster Dictionary).
Regardless of whether they were monarchies, republics, federations or centralized states, state bodies played an extremely important role in the production of art and in the institutionalization of knowledge, culture and art in all parts of Europe and throughout the aforementioned period. By fabricating its visual identity, commissioning works from artists whom it considered close, and censoring those segments of art production that it judged potentially dangerous to its survival, the state has largely been shaping the art scene in all parts of Europe. Additionally, states’ cultural and educational policies have influenced (and still does) the shaping of knowledge about the arts and teaching content in the field of art (history) on all educational levels.
The conference therefore welcomes contributions that deal with approaches to interpretation of these phenomena and various topics in the broad field of art history (painting, sculpture, applied arts, graphic design, photography, architecture, urban planning, curricula and study programmes in art history, etc.) but also other humanities disciplines.

The project Art and the State in Croatia from the Enlightenment to the Present aims to explore influences of the state regime on art production and interpretation of artworks and artistic heritage. Since the Croatian cultural and political space in the period from the late 18th century to 1991 formed part of different states (Austro-Hungarian Empire, Independent State of Croatia, Yugoslavia, Republic of Croatia), the project researchers will attempt to show the degree and nature of the impact the state-based bodies exerted on artistic production and cultural and educational policies. Croatian art will therefore be contextualised with artistic developments in the neighbouring countries or the areas of political association with Croatia, due to which the implementation of the project entails numerous field researches (urban space, museums, libraries, archives). In terms of its goals, the project is divided into two major groups of activities – research on the impact of the state on different areas of artistic production through commissions, grants and censorship, and the impacts on the process of artistic heritage production and care and on formal and informal education in the field of visual arts. In addition to the principal investigator Dragan Damjanović the project includes 14 researchers: Josipa Alviž, Marina Bregovac Pisk, Matea Brstilo Rešetar, Sandi Bulimbašić, Frano Dulibić, Ivan Kokeza, Silvija Lučevnjak, Lovorka Magaš Bilandžić, Zvonko Maković, Željka Miklošević, Jasminka Najcer Sabljak, Jasmina Nestić, Patricia Počanić and Sanja Zadro. By engaging researchers from heritage institutions (museums and conservation departments), the project contributes to the promotion of interinstitutional cooperation and ensures multidimensional views on intricate relationships between art and the state. Project results will be published in journals, books, proceedings, catalogues and the like, as well as through exhibitions and conferences. The team plans to organize two project-related scientific conferences and a workshop.
Project is financed by Croatian Science Foundation (Hrvatska zaklada za znanost/ HRZZ).