Teodor
Kracun
Carved Baroque Iconostasis
Old Serbian Church -1775
Frescos
from the Hopovo Monastery XVIII century
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In the XVIII century Mitrovica was not an important
artistic center considering the immediate proximity of Sremski Karlovci, seat
of the Metropolitan, where the artists of that time gathered to work the
needs of churches on the territory of the archbishopric. In the second half
of the XVIII century, the old church of St. Stephen's obtained a richly carved
baroque iconostasis, work of an anonymous master, with the paintings by
Teodor Kracun, the most renowned artist of the baroque painting in Vojvodina.
In the beginning of the XIX century there was effected the decoration of the
newly built churches, Catholic and Orthodox. The altar paintings in the
Catholic church were made in 1812 by Arsa Teodorovic, the representative of
the classicism in the art of Vojvodina. In the same year Marko Vujatovic
completed the carvings on the iconostasis and the paintings on the
iconostasis were finished three years later by Arsa Teodorovic.In the first
half of the XIX century there worked at Mitrovica also some local masters,
such as the self-taught painter Lazar Stajic Toskovic and his son Jovan who
had begun to study painting, but died young as a student of the Art Academy
in Vienna.
From both these artists there remained a few paintings
of religious character. In addition to those artists who worked for churches,
at Mitrovica are to be found in the course of the XIX century also the
masters of the profane painting. From among the renowned artists who made
portraits of the members of well-to-do families of Mitrovica, ought to be
mentioned Nikola Aleksic, Pavle Simic and Novak Radonic. In addition to the
artists from Vojvodina there are to be met with at Mitrovica axso the painter
from Osijek Franja Gifinger and the famous artist from Zagreb Ferdo
Quiquerez.
Mirjana LEŠEK
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MITROVICA DURING THE INTER-WAR YEARS
This contribution present the past of the town between the two
wars After the World War I, Sremska Mitrovica came within the frontiers of
the Kingdom of Serbians, Croats and Slovenes. In the new State, the
bourgeoisie class did not avail itself of the possibilities for the economic
and communal development, but rather wasted its forces in inter party
struggles and, consequently, the town stagnated in all respects. Towards the
middle of May 1919 was formed the organization of the Communist Party which
was exceptionally active in the course of the first years after the war, when
there were organized great strikes and socialist manifestations. After the
activity of the Communist Party had been forbidden, the communists went
underground and developed their activity within the framework of workers'
syndicate organizations (trade unions). In the inter war years the town
became renowned for its Penitentiary and the struggle carried on by the
communist prisoners. In 1933 there were 247 imprisoned communists. In this
prison were translated into Serbo-Croat language the Capital and other works
of Marxist literature. The communist prisoners have established in the
Penitentiary a Party school with five chairs and a rector at the bead.
Further, there have been issued there several newspapers and reviews. The
workers' movement in the town was the most powerful from 1936 to the World
War II. After a series of successful strikes the workers organized, on the
11th of December 1940 great demonstrations, asking for the improvement of
their economical situation and claiming political rights.
Radomir PRICA
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