Original scientific paper
Ivo Maroević
; Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Filozofski fakultet
Abstract
Enlightenment, as the lower era boundary, is the introduction of new scientific view onto the world and expansion of critically exposed ideas against prejudices and traditional backwardness. It is the source of new modern scientific disciplines. The world is not looked at as the universe entity any more, but as the amount of discipline series. In Croatia it is the period of enlightened absolutism of Joseph II and the sunset of Venetian rule in Dalmatia. Romanticism, as the upper time boundary of the period, turns toward the Middle Ages generating the creation of modern nations. National movements get stronger, and world pain mourns after the world. The period between Enlightenment and Romanticism marks the transition from global to national. Global world of classic orientation gradually gets into the world of individuality, developing on the mediaeval roots of modern European nations which commenced on the ruins of ancient universe. It is the period limited by two revolutions, the French bourgeois one from 1789. and the one that spread in Europe in 1848.
Croatia goes through strong changes. After several centuries of Venetian rule, Dalmatia becomes a part of Napoleon's Illyrian provinces, which penetrate deeply into Croatian historical space leaving traces, and after that it becomes an Austrian country. Croatia and Slavonia go through Illyrian movement, which is in fact a type of Croatian national renaissance. Everything ends with post-revolutionary Bach's absolutism and the creation of new relations with Austria and Hungary in Austro-Hungarian Monarchy after the agreements in 1868.
The museums in Croatia spring up as institutions reflecting the mentality of the period. Aristocratic collections last for some more time and institutionalization of the museums is a direct reflection of French bourgeois revolution which longed for democratization of the approach to inheritance creating new educational tradition. The museum gradually ceased to satisfy its parallel substance, losing a part of its mediaeval tradition. The museum in European context becomes a new apparatus for the production of knowledge, utilitarian instrument of democratic education. Its substance is revealed in the interest for differences which create the world. Holistic attitude is neglected. Foncault said that the museum because a part
of the net of permanent and multiple relations among people, territory and prosperity. With global interest for antiquities, ancient times and natural sciences are the two basic contexts of gathering in Croatia. Interest for ancient times generates strong classicism as the term of reference of the period and the richness of antique findings in coastal areas (from Salona and Diocletian's palace to Pula). Variety of natural world (from Dinaric Karst to Pannonian plain) stimulates collecting of natural material. It is enough to read a book by Sabljar "How to register collections of natural materials in major towns of Croatia and Slavonia" (1853.) to comprehend a broad spectrum of interest opened by natural sciences as a collectors theme. In Croatia it is the time of foundation of national museums as the reflex of national spirit. These were National museum in Zadar (1830.) as the center of Dalmatia and Zagreb (1836-66) as the center of Croatia and Slavonia. In 1802. marshal Marmont founded a collection of stone monuments in Augustus temple in Pula, while Archaeological museum in Split was founded in 1818. Archaeological collections will become the basic collections of national museums.
National museums will hold archaeology, numismatics, natural sciences and antiquities, while fine art will slowly enter. This reflection of developed archaeological and historical sciences, which will deal with the material gathered and preserved at the national territory. This connection with the territory is characteristic for natural sciences. At that moment fine art is lacking national consciousness. Thus gathering of works of art doesn't have the foundation in national disposition of national museums. Works of art are goods bought in the market or plunder captured in wars.
Territorial determination of collections in national museums reflects the mentality of the period, which is specific for us. Universal in function of the national, which is springing up, determined with some new national characteristics. Materials gathered in a museum become a part of apparatus for showing the knowledge, but in the function of strong connecting to the ground heritage. The gathered things thus become a potential with endless possibility of continuous new reading.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
165088
URI
Publication date:
5.12.2001.
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