Yugoslav Monuments Associated with the First World War (1918–1941)

Yugoslav Monuments Associated with the First World War (1918–1941) SYMPOSIUM Ljubljana, 18–19 October 2018 Concept of the symposium: Beti Žerovc Management and organization: Marko Jenko, Urška Jurman, Beti Žerovc Organizer: Department of Art History, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana. The symposium is part of the seminar Art for Collective Use. It has received financial support from the Slovenian Research Agency (research core funding No. P6-0199, History of Art of Slovenia, Central Europe and the Adriatic) Partners: Igor Zabel Association for Culture and Theory, Moderna galerija Location: Moderna galerija, Cankarjeva 15, Ljubljana Symposium booklet editor: Beti Žerovc Translation and proofreading: Marko Jenko, Tamara Soban, Paul Steed Graphic design: Nika Ham Commemorative display for Špelca Čopič: Moderna galerija's Archives Acknowledgement: Safet Ahmeti, Sanja Horvatinčić, Vladimir Jančevski, Nenad Lajbenšperger, Predrag Malbaša, Dušan Medin, Violeta Obrenović, Rok Stergar, Marko Štepec On the cover: Edvard Ravnikar, War Victims Ossuary, 1939, Žale cemetery, Ljubljana, Slovenia; courtesy of: Marko Jenko 2 Yugoslav Monuments Associated with the First World War (1918–1941) The First World War monuments produced in interwar Yugoslavia are today usually dis- cussed separately, within the context of the successor state to which they belong. The symposium will attempt to present a picture of this production that is as comprehen- sive as possible, outlining not only the common features of these works but also their differences, which to a large degree were conditioned by very diverse local traditions of commemoration and memorial creation. The second goal of the symposium is to consider how these monuments are in- scribed with desires to strengthen a common Yugoslav identity, establish a collective imaginary, and develop a distinctive visual image of the young state. Yugoslavia faced considerable difficulties in this area, which were fostered not only by internal inter-eth- nic and political tensions and a poorly thought-out state cultural policy, but also by the lack of unifying shared stories and memories. Because, before unification, the different peoples of Yugoslavia had often found themselves in opposing political camps, stories from the past could even be extremely divisive for the young state. The creation of monuments dedicated to the achievements and to the fallen soldiers of the First World War was itself a problematic task: both victors and vanquished found themselves living in the same country, and the burial and commemoration of soldiers from both sides were happening simultaneously. Monuments normally tell us, directly and overtly, that the dead did not die in vain and the living embody the values for which they fought, but in Yugoslavia after the First World War such monuments were impossible. A sense of solidarity, whether sincere or pragmatic, constrained the victors, at least initially, from freely exulting in euphoric triumphalist narratives. And the vanquished were even more constrained, for what had happened was the very reverse of what they had been fighting for, and there was no possible way to rationalize the deaths of the many who had fallen in battle. * The symposium is dedicated to Špelca Čopič (1922–2014), an expert and interpreter of Slovenian and Yugoslav sculpture and public monuments in the 20th century. On this occasion, we will also remember her with a commemorative display. The symposium is affiliated with the international research project and exhibition On the Brink: The Visual Arts in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1929–1941) due to open in spring 2019 at the Moderna galerija (Museum of Modern Art). 3 P R O G R A M Thursday, 18 October 2018 10.30 Introductions Katja Mahnič (Head of the Department of Art History, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana) Urška Jurman (Program Director of the Igor Zabel Association for Cul- ture and Theory, Ljubljana) Marko Jenko (Curator, Moderna galerija, Ljubljana) The Production of Monuments Associated with the First World War in Different Parts of Yugoslavia Moderated by Božidar Jezernik (Professor of Ethnology of the Balkans and Cultural Anthropology at the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana) and Olga Manojlovič Pintar 11.00 Beti Žerovc:The Development of Public Monuments on the Terri- tory of Future Yugoslavia (lecture in English) 11.30 Petra Svoljšak: Stones of Memory: How and Why were the Memorials Built during the First World War – The Case of the Slovenian Territory and the Isonzo Front (lecture in English) 12.30 Marko Štepec: The Monuments to the First World War in Slove- nia (lecture in Slovenian) 13.00 Ljiljana Dobrovšak: The Places of Memory of the First World War in Croatia (lecture in Croatian) 13.30 Andrea Baotić-Rustanbegović:The Monuments to the Victims of the First World War: Commemorative Practices in Bosnia and Herzego- vina (lecture in English) 15.00 Nenad Lajbenšperger: The Monuments Dedicated to the First World War on the Territory of Serbia without Provinces, in Vojvodina and Abroad (lecture in English) 4 15.30 Danilo Šarenac: The Monuments Dedicated to the First World War on the Territory of Macedonia, Kosovo and Montenegro, and the Mon- uments to Foreign Soldiers in Serbia and Macedonia (lecture in English) 16.00 Panel discussion with lecturers 17.00 Individual consultations with lecturers for students and monument researchers (applications in advance:[email protected] ) Friday, 19 October 2018 The Monuments in Service of the State Moderated by Danilo Šarenac and Beti Žerovc 10.30 Olga Manojlović Pintar: The Monuments to the Heroes and Vic- tims of the First World War and the Remembrance Policy in Yugoslavia (lecture in English) 11.00 Borut Klabjan: Violence in Space: Marking the Border Space in the Northern Adriatic in the First Half of the 20th Century (lecture in English) 11.30 Dalibor Prančević: Ivan Meštrović and the First World War: An Artist’s Path from Emigrant Activism to State Commissions (lecture in English) 12.30 Barbara Vujanović: Shaping the Nation: Interwar Monuments in the Context of the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb (lecture in English) 13.00 Aleksandar Ignjatović: Yugoslavism through the Syntax of Classi- cism: The Memorials to the First World War in Belgrade and Ljubljana, 1931–1939 (lecture in English) 13.30 Panel discussion with the lecturers 15.00 Individual lecturer consultations for students and monuments researchers (applications in advance:[email protected] ) 5 ABSTRACTS Četrtek, 8. oktober 2018 BETI ŽEROVC Public Monuments on the Territory of the Future Yugoslavia The aim of this lecture is to survey the terrain from which sprang the Yugoslav production of monuments relating to the First World War. It first discusses the cultural and political connections among the South Slavic peoples from the late 19th century onwards, in particular, the role played by art and artists in these processes. The latter were able to become genuine icons for the newly conceived national communities, and, for either practical or purely ideological reasons they enlisted, through their work and activities, to political processes that, for example, criticized the Austrian national policy or even presented Yugoslavia as an already existing cultural fact. Meštrović was probably, among the artists of the future Yugoslavia, the most prominent proponent of Yugoslav ideology, skillfully satisfying both the international artistic system and the politically aroused communities in the Balkans. Further on we will touch upon the great diversity among the different parts of the future state, which meant that their attitudes towards public monuments were also very diverse. In areas that belonged to Austria–Hungary, the presence of monuments was similar to that in other parts of Central Europe, where, towards the end of the century, a real wave of public civic monuments is given significant impetus by nationalism. That is to say, the proliferation of monuments is due in part to a nationalistic marking of -ter ritory by local populations, who by such gestures seek to underscore their presence, importance, worth, and even their superiority vis-à-vis other groups. In such an envi- ronment the monument was not only a physical fact, it also functioned as a »vehicle«, where everything, from its conception to its demolition, the very process of its instal- lation, could represent an effective strategy and platform for the lawful and long-term precipitation of tensions, aggressive speech, and various events. Or inversely, it might calm these kind of tensions. In the south-eastern part of the future country, monument production before unification developed somewhat differently and also more slowly. The Ottoman Empire withdrew from the Balkans gradually, and, for example, it was only after the hatt-i sha- rif, or edict, of 1830 that Serbia received, along with its autonomy, the right to erect monuments and other similar objects. In these regions, such production continued to be fundamentally defined by the presence of both the Ottoman and Eastern Orthodox traditions, which structured public space and glorified and commemorated important social events and figures differently than the Central and Western European traditions. Both the Ottoman and Eastern Orthodox traditions were at the same time very commit- ted to painting, while the Ottoman tradition was also very reluctant towards figurative representation. The emergence of bourgeois civic monuments in this part of the country was also greatly stimulated by the politic and nationalist moments, and especially by the establishment of the Kingdom of Serbia, which was trying to declare itself as a modern European country both at home and abroad. 6 The conclusion will indicate how the production of public monuments in a new country was established on a systemic level and from where its mindset and artistic influences were originating. While the state did not have any serious cultural policy in this area, it was predominantly certain excellent authors, trained within former political frameworks who became its key creators and pedagogues. In Zagreb, which had the only Yugoslav art academy until 1937, there was a great sculptural professorial team, led by Ivan Me- strović.

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