ARTISTIC ACTIVITY IN THE XVIII and XIX CENTURIES

Teodor Kracun
Carved Baroque Iconostasis
Old Serbian Church -1775

 

 

Frescos from the Hopovo Monastery XVIII century

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


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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