History of Art History in Central,Eastern & South- Eastern Europe (Torun, 14-16 Sep 10/Kaunas 14-15 Oct 10) katja bernhardt Europe (Torun, 14-16 Sep 10/Kaunas 14-15 Oct 10) The Society of Modern Art and The Department of Modern Art, Faculty of Fine Arts, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, www.zhsn.umk.pl, The Polish Society of Oriental Art, Warsaw, www.sztukaorientu.pl The Centre for Lithuanian Cultural Heritage Identity Research, Faculty of Arts, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas www.vdu.lt The International Institute for Art Historical Research IRSA, Cracow, www.irsa.com.pl Two Jubilee International Conferences celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the First Lecture on the History of Art at Vilna / Vilnius University (15 September 1810) CALL FOR PAPERS 1) The History of Art History in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe Torun, The Center of Modern Art, September 14-16, 2010 2) The Landmarks of Art History Kaunas, The Vytautas Magnus University, October 14-15, 2010 On September 15, 1810 Professor of "etching and the literature of fine arts" Joseph (Józef) Saunders (London 1773 - Krzemieniec / Kremenets in Volhynia 1854) delivered the first lecture on the history of art at the Faculty of Literature and Art of Vilna University, entitled: Discours sur l'influence ou l'utilité des arts imitatifs / On the Influence and Use of Mimetic Arts (given in French. It was published in Polish in "Pamietnik Magnetyczny", 1815). Saunders also prepared the academic curriculum for the teaching of art history at Vilna University and published the text of his other lecture, Information about the Life and Works of Szymon Czechowicz (a Cracow - born 18th century painter), which was the first scientific article devoted to the art of Poland and Lithuania (published in Polish in the "Dziennik Wilenski", 1815). The bicentenary of Saunders' lecture is also the anniversary of art 1/5 ArtHist.net history as a science in Central and Eastern Europe. The tradition of the former Vilna University art history is upheld by Polish and Lithuanian universities, i.e.: Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, where the Faculty of Fine Arts of Stefan Batory University in Vilna was transferred after the Second World War; Lublin Catholic University; Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas; the Academy of Fine Arts in Vilnius. 1) The History of Art History in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, Torun, The Center of Modern Art, September 14-16, 2010 The Jubilee Celebrations of the 200th anniversary of this first lecture will include the international conference organized on September 14 - 16, 2010 in Torun entitled: The History of Art History in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, with the reconstruction of Prof. Joseph Saunders' lecture on September 15. The conference will be devoted to the history of art history seen as a field of scientific study and its contribution to the creation of national and esthetic awareness of the countries in the region. As regards the territory, the conference is to encompass the states of Central Europe, the Baltic states, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova, then the Balkan states, Greece, the Caucasian states and national minorities, such as Jews, Armenians and Tatars. In the 19th and 20th century many nations shared a common fate fighting to include an element of national culture in the lives of their countries. This evolved from the antiquarianism of the first half of the 19th century, through the establishment of scientific and cultural institutions to the creation of the academic history of art. The conference is designed to comprise the following topics: - the genesis of art history as a science in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe - discovering local artistic traditions - the role of exhibitions and art collections in the making of national traditions in art - views on national art (iconography and national styles) - canons of national art - creating national institutions of science and culture (scientific societies, museums as centers of research and art journals) - the formation of art history departments and centers at universities and art schools - outstanding researchers and schools of art history; their role in European culture - the historiography of art in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe - assessment of folk art in research on art history - research on religious art (Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, etc.) - issues related to art on the multi-national and multi-religious 2/5 ArtHist.net borderlines - the history of art theory and art criticism - art history and political ideologies - research devoted to censorship and restrictions on national culture by occupying or totalitarian powers - reflections on the relationships between art and the history of art in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe with the art and art history of Western and Southern Europe The analysis of these problems is the starting point of a general discussion about the methods and methodology of research into the history of art, about the modern prospects for this discipline (from the perspective of globalization), and also of a reflection upon the heritage of world artistic culture. The conference will be held in two parallel sessions. The language of the conference will primarily be English, but, if necessary, French is also acceptable. Part of the conference will be conducted in Polish and in Russian. Presentations should be no longer than 20 minutes. Participation is subject to registration. Proposals for contributions have to be submitted with a short abstract (max. 150 words in English) before April 30, 2010, to Prof. Dr. Jerzy Malinowski: [email protected] or the Bureau of the Conference: [email protected]. Presentations will be selected by May 31, 2010. The conference registration form is attached and available on the Internet websites: www.zhsn.umk.pl or www.sztukaorientu.pl. Selected papers are planned to be published in a conference volume (in English). The organisers provide room and board to all participants, and the participants from distant countries can apply for an allowance to cover their total or partial travel costs. 2) The Landmarks of Art History Kaunas, The Vytautas Magnus University, October 14-15, 2010 The second part of the Jubilee Celebration is going to be held in Kaunas in the form of an international conference entitled The Landmarks of Art History, organized on October 14-15, 2010, at the Faculty of Arts of Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas. The main focus of the conference will be research on Central and Eastern European architecture and fine art historiography in the years 1810-2010. The conference goals are: to reveal the stages in the development of art history, to discuss significant discoveries and problems of the field and to initiate a dialogue among researchers, to foster self-perception in research on art and open new vistas for art research. The anniversary is an inducement to look back, ponder and evaluate the development of the research on art history in Lithuania and the wider region of Central and Eastern Europe. Art history in this case is treated as the history of architecture and fine arts. The time difference of 200 years is sufficient to evaluate the most significant achievements, the contribution of personalities and schools, the changes in 3/5 ArtHist.net methodology, as well as to raise topics of present-day research on art history. In the 19th century Vilna / Vilnius University, as a hotbed of professionalism in art stimulating the development of the idea of art research, was important not only to Lithuania, but also Poland and Belarus. What was its relationship with art centers and art research in other countries of Central and Eastern Europe and in what way did research into art history develop from the 19th to the 21st century? What are the possible aspects of interaction between Lithuanian and other schools of art research of Central and Eastern Europe? These are the questions that the conference organizers invite you to discuss. Thematic fields suggested for reports: - Joseph Saunders' concept of art history and theory and its enduring value - the historiography of sacred and secular architecture and fine arts: tendencies, trends and processes - the most outstanding art researchers and schools - changes in the methodology of art history - reflections on the research into heritage protection and museology - problems in the terminology of art research - the professionalization of the arts community - interpretations of the concept of styles and periodization - disputes over the national ownership status of art objects in the Central and Eastern European region Languages of the conference: English, Lithuanian, Russian and Polish. The duration of the conference presentations will be limited to 20 minutes. All those wishing to participate in the conference are requested to send a completed participant registration form until April 1, 2010 in one of the following languages: Lithuanian, English, Russian or Polish (up to 1800 printed characters) to Prof. Dr. Ausrine Slavinskiene: [email protected]. Presentations will be selected by April 22, 2010. Selected conference presentations and scientific papers prepared on their basis are planned to be published in the scientific publication (Meno istorija ir Kritika = Art History and Criticism, registered in the international scientific information database MLA (Modern Language Association). In connection to the jubilee celebration, a special anniversary volume is going to be published titled: Joseph (Józef) Saunders, On Art and Its History, prepared by Prof. Dr. Inessa I. Svirida (Institute of Slavonic Studies of the Academy of Sciences of the Russian Federation, Moscow). The volume will be published as a release of the Department of Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland, in English and Polish, with detailed abstracts in Lithuanian and Russian. Reference: 4/5 ArtHist.net CFP: History of Art History in Central,Eastern & South-Eastern Europe (Torun, 14-16 Sep 10/Kaunas 14-15 Oct 10).