Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.17018/portal.2018.8
Cvito Fisković and the Main Features of Art Conservation at the Conservation Department for Dalmatia
Sandra Šustić
Sažetak
At the beginning of the second half of the 20th century, an unprecedented number of historical paintings and sculptures from the Croatian coast lay neglected and unprotected. Furthermore, because of the destruction during World War II, many famous artworks from the coast had additional damage, were stolen or lost. Such an alarming state prompted the organization of a protection service which would focus primarily on works of art from Dalmatia. However, the existing institutions dealing with heritage protection could not be put in charge of rescuing such a large number of Dalmatian monuments. While the Conservation Institute, founded by the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts in Zagreb (JAZU), worked primarily on the conservation of damaged items from galleries and museums of the Academy, the Federal Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments in Belgrade chose artworks based on the criterion of the so-called ‘federal’ significance of endangered items. Therefore, the arrival of a new director at the Conservation Department for Dalmatia in 1945 – art historian and conservator, Cvito Fisković (Orebić, 24 December 1908 – Split, 13 July 1996) – made it possible to save cultural heritage from Dalmatia. In 1954, when the first conservation workshop in Split was founded, the only workshop of this type in Dalmatia, work on the systematic conservation of historical paintings and sculptures could begin. Prior to his active involvement, the work of what he often called “local masters” on the Adriatic was not well known, so their significance in the cultural affirmation of Dalmatian art on the Adriatic was not noticed. The basic success in solving this specific type of problem in art history from 1945 onwards consisted of dealing with artistic products by Dalmatian builders, sculptors, painters, carvers and goldsmiths on the Adriatic coast. The work on implementing this project affected the work of the Conservation Department. Therefore, thorough preliminary research of artwork was carried out during the protection, registration and conservation of cultural and artistic heritage. Through this approach, and with close co-operation with his colleagues, Cvito Fisković furthered the knowledge on masters from Dalmatia, and enabled them to be identified, conserved and restored, and finally published. Furthermore, his role in the formation of interdisciplinary studies in art conservation, where the knowledge and expertise of art historians and restorers complement each other, is especially important. In fact, in respecting the role of restorers who understood the materiality of art, a lot of information that made a significant contribution to art history was collected. A perfect example of affirmation of artists from Dalmatia was the discovery of the romanesque school in Split, and the enrichment of the oeuvre of Blaž, son of Juraj of Trogir. Preliminary studies that resulted from it yielded numerous research papers that confirmed and scientifically proved the development of Dalmatian artists from the 9th to the 20th century. His idea of involving experts with varying expertise strengthened the projects of the Split Conservation Workshop and enabled authoritative conclusions in the field of art history. The research results – which are part of broader research on the protection, conservation and restoration of movable monuments under the leadership of Cvito Fisković – have undoubtedly proven that he played a very important role in the creation and promotion of the protection of movable monuments in Croatia, by modernising the work of his predecessors and expanding the study of the art that was being conserved and restored.
Ključne riječi
Cvito Fisković; Conservation Department for Dalmatia; Split Conservation Workshop; art conservation and restoration; movable monuments; "local" masters; interdisciplinary cooperation
Hrčak ID:
218341
URI
Datum izdavanja:
30.12.2018.
Posjeta: 1.226 *