Saša M Brajović
PhD SAŠA BRAJOVIĆ, Professor (full), Department of Art History, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Serbia, and visiting professor at University of Donja Gorica, Podgorica, Montenegro.
Teaching European art history from Renaissance to Impressionism.
Interested in phenomena and concepts of visual culture from the early modern and modern period.
The focus of academic research: visual culture of Montenegro, and Bay of Kotor (Boka Kotorska) in particular; the phenomenon of identity, its contextualisation and visualisation; perception and interpretation of European artistic heritage in the region of southeaster Europe; collections of European art in Serbian museums.
Member of academic board of the Center for Visual Culture of the Balkans, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade.
Phone: +381 11 3206 248
Address: Department of Art History
Faculty of Philosophy
University of Belgrade
Room 481
Čika Ljubina 18-20
11000 Belgrade
Serbia
Teaching European art history from Renaissance to Impressionism.
Interested in phenomena and concepts of visual culture from the early modern and modern period.
The focus of academic research: visual culture of Montenegro, and Bay of Kotor (Boka Kotorska) in particular; the phenomenon of identity, its contextualisation and visualisation; perception and interpretation of European artistic heritage in the region of southeaster Europe; collections of European art in Serbian museums.
Member of academic board of the Center for Visual Culture of the Balkans, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade.
Phone: +381 11 3206 248
Address: Department of Art History
Faculty of Philosophy
University of Belgrade
Room 481
Čika Ljubina 18-20
11000 Belgrade
Serbia
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Books by Saša M Brajović
This book is dedicated to the travels of Petar II Petrović Njegoš, bishop and poet of Montenegro, to Italy from the end of 1850 to the summer of 1851. Njegoš's last journey was undertaken with an aim to alleviate his health problems in the moderate Italian climate. However, his stay in Venice, Rome, Naples and Florence, and the manner in which he observed Italian imagery – works of art, natural and urban landscapes – attest to the fact that this journey was indeed a true Grand Tour.
This book searches for answers to questions about what Njegoš saw in Italy, why and how did he observe. The objects of his perception, the manner in which he perceived them and his reactions, are all part of a system of socially and culturally organized signs and significations of his era. However, the dialectic principle of image-society is not the code which fully unlocks the specific echo that art produces in Njegoš. He often overcomes the experience of his times and approaches a work of art through the interpretations of others, while relying on his own understanding of beauty and goodness. Still, Njegoš's visuality is a historical manifestation of the visual experience, guided by conventions. Observed from that point of view, in this book Njegoš is presented as a European intellectual and true Prince of Montenegro, as he was referred to in contemporary sources.
Of the many identities of Njegoš, the one in focus of interest here is that which presents him as a European aristocratic traveller. His royal and episcopal identity is partly portrayed only in cases when it sheds light on his experience as a traveler. The contours of Njegoš's poetic self are more prominent, for his theological and philosophical thoughts are integrated into his perceptions of works of art.
The first part of the book is dedicated to concepts and phenomena that built Njegoš's Grand Tour. The character of his Italian journey, the literatures and the personas which determined it are discussed, as well as manners of construction of his views as a traveler. The second part of this book presents the itinerary of Njegoš's Grand Tour. Based on meager notes it has been determined what Njegoš saw. This part of the study considers the modes in which the major focal points of the Grand Tour appeared before him, as well as the echo their contemporary presentation produced within him.
Great attention is given in this book to the understanding of Italian culture as given in the travelogue Letters from Italy by Ljubomir Nenadović, Njegoš's travel companion. Although it was Njegoš who determined Nenadović's reception of Italy, this study also points out that Njegoš's own perception was fashioned by Nenadović's education and the information he commanded, not only by his devoted friendship.
Introduction
Because of its numerous churches, altars, paintings, sculptures, poems and works of prose, as well as others forms of Marian piety, my experience of Boka Kotorska and therefore my representation of it in this book, is that of a metaphor of Mary's garden on earth. It was my desire to represent it as an entity shaped by devotion to the Blessed Virgin but, at the same time, one which by virtue of its morphological structure and unique beauty gave that faith and love special character.
I investigated Baroque Marian devotion, which, until now, had never been the subject of scholarly interest, as a complex phenomenon reflecting the entire scope of social history of the region. My aim was to study and to present the cultural history of Boka Kotorska in a new light.
Baroque Marian piety was the natural product of an earlier, medieval and Renaissance tradition, which in that new age acquired more intense expression. In order to explain certain manifestations, I occasionally reached into the past. At the same time, it was occasionally necessary to go "back to the future", because the sort of Marian devotion tinted with the Baroque mentality continued into the new era of the Enlightenment.
Although I limited my research to Boka Kotorska (the Bay of Kotor) I also wanted to point out the fact that, as a result of unfavorable social-political circumstances, Marian devotion gradually migrated from the southernmost part of the present-day Montenegrin coast in the direction of the partial security offered by the Boka Kotorska. That is why this book also includes chapters on the monastery of Ratac and the city of Budva.
The full picture of Boka Kotorska as the garden of Mary can be obtained only if the Orthodox celebration of the Virgin is also taken into account. However, regardless of the similarities between expressions of Marian piety in the Catholic and the Orthodox communities, it would be necessary to point out the differences, too. This however would disturb the conceived structure and rhythm of this work. I believe that the confessional determination of the subject of my research gave this book precision and depth. I have striven to present Marian piety in Boka Kotorska as a sensitive gauge of complex theological, historical, socio-political, ethical and aesthetical notions of the epoch in the region. That space is experienced as the realm of the Blessed Virgin. Within it land and sea are in direct touch with the heavens, both literally and metaphorically. Observed within the social-political framework it is a vision of a stable, just state watched over by the vigilant eye of the Virgin Mary.
That is why my research focused on the structural elements employed to construct the image of Boka Kotorska as the garden of Mary on earth. This implied the study of sacral topography of the terrain and the ubication of strategically significant points chosen to house churches dedicated to the Virgin. The projection of the Virgin's kingdom on earth was an image built through the efforts of humanists, poets, priests, religious orders, confraternities, the wealthy, and educated individuals – patrons from Boka Kotorska. Although it is impossible to precisely delineate the activities of each individual group, for the sake of clarity they are discussed within separate chapters. Within the framework of those headings, the specific qualities of liturgy, Marian doctrine, expressions of popular piety and the most significant works of art were studied.
Particular attention was focused on the role of miracle-working icons which stood at the semiotic core of the building programs of churches as well as at the heart of the programs of their decoration, in painting and sculpture. The most highly venerated of them all, Gospa od Škrpjela (Our Lady of the Reef), was the focus of pilgrimage and the object of votive gifts, significant phenomena investigated in especially dedicated chapters within this book.
The role of miracle-working icons of the Virgin as the essential element in forging the integrity and unity of the city – spiritual and political, territorial and social – is a subject of special interest. Their significance in that process was expressed most clearly in the course of public manifestations, urban rituals, processions and sacral dramas. These questions, of particular interest to me, are given the largest space, inspiration and liberty in interpretation and the process of forming conclusions.
Because I strove to write a book with the intention of placing these phenomena within a historical framework, while also speaking of the way in which a specific work of art «functions», how it affects the emotions and activities of men, I relied on the results of various affiliated humanistic sciences and disciplines, especially historical anthropology and sociology. In my task to historicize an artistic phenomenon I had to combine a wealth of diverse material and different methodological strategies. It turned out that that the historical components of an artwork could indeed be harmonized with the study of its vitality and efficiency.
Book Chapters by Saša M Brajović
Papers by Saša M Brajović
This book is dedicated to the travels of Petar II Petrović Njegoš, bishop and poet of Montenegro, to Italy from the end of 1850 to the summer of 1851. Njegoš's last journey was undertaken with an aim to alleviate his health problems in the moderate Italian climate. However, his stay in Venice, Rome, Naples and Florence, and the manner in which he observed Italian imagery – works of art, natural and urban landscapes – attest to the fact that this journey was indeed a true Grand Tour.
This book searches for answers to questions about what Njegoš saw in Italy, why and how did he observe. The objects of his perception, the manner in which he perceived them and his reactions, are all part of a system of socially and culturally organized signs and significations of his era. However, the dialectic principle of image-society is not the code which fully unlocks the specific echo that art produces in Njegoš. He often overcomes the experience of his times and approaches a work of art through the interpretations of others, while relying on his own understanding of beauty and goodness. Still, Njegoš's visuality is a historical manifestation of the visual experience, guided by conventions. Observed from that point of view, in this book Njegoš is presented as a European intellectual and true Prince of Montenegro, as he was referred to in contemporary sources.
Of the many identities of Njegoš, the one in focus of interest here is that which presents him as a European aristocratic traveller. His royal and episcopal identity is partly portrayed only in cases when it sheds light on his experience as a traveler. The contours of Njegoš's poetic self are more prominent, for his theological and philosophical thoughts are integrated into his perceptions of works of art.
The first part of the book is dedicated to concepts and phenomena that built Njegoš's Grand Tour. The character of his Italian journey, the literatures and the personas which determined it are discussed, as well as manners of construction of his views as a traveler. The second part of this book presents the itinerary of Njegoš's Grand Tour. Based on meager notes it has been determined what Njegoš saw. This part of the study considers the modes in which the major focal points of the Grand Tour appeared before him, as well as the echo their contemporary presentation produced within him.
Great attention is given in this book to the understanding of Italian culture as given in the travelogue Letters from Italy by Ljubomir Nenadović, Njegoš's travel companion. Although it was Njegoš who determined Nenadović's reception of Italy, this study also points out that Njegoš's own perception was fashioned by Nenadović's education and the information he commanded, not only by his devoted friendship.
Introduction
Because of its numerous churches, altars, paintings, sculptures, poems and works of prose, as well as others forms of Marian piety, my experience of Boka Kotorska and therefore my representation of it in this book, is that of a metaphor of Mary's garden on earth. It was my desire to represent it as an entity shaped by devotion to the Blessed Virgin but, at the same time, one which by virtue of its morphological structure and unique beauty gave that faith and love special character.
I investigated Baroque Marian devotion, which, until now, had never been the subject of scholarly interest, as a complex phenomenon reflecting the entire scope of social history of the region. My aim was to study and to present the cultural history of Boka Kotorska in a new light.
Baroque Marian piety was the natural product of an earlier, medieval and Renaissance tradition, which in that new age acquired more intense expression. In order to explain certain manifestations, I occasionally reached into the past. At the same time, it was occasionally necessary to go "back to the future", because the sort of Marian devotion tinted with the Baroque mentality continued into the new era of the Enlightenment.
Although I limited my research to Boka Kotorska (the Bay of Kotor) I also wanted to point out the fact that, as a result of unfavorable social-political circumstances, Marian devotion gradually migrated from the southernmost part of the present-day Montenegrin coast in the direction of the partial security offered by the Boka Kotorska. That is why this book also includes chapters on the monastery of Ratac and the city of Budva.
The full picture of Boka Kotorska as the garden of Mary can be obtained only if the Orthodox celebration of the Virgin is also taken into account. However, regardless of the similarities between expressions of Marian piety in the Catholic and the Orthodox communities, it would be necessary to point out the differences, too. This however would disturb the conceived structure and rhythm of this work. I believe that the confessional determination of the subject of my research gave this book precision and depth. I have striven to present Marian piety in Boka Kotorska as a sensitive gauge of complex theological, historical, socio-political, ethical and aesthetical notions of the epoch in the region. That space is experienced as the realm of the Blessed Virgin. Within it land and sea are in direct touch with the heavens, both literally and metaphorically. Observed within the social-political framework it is a vision of a stable, just state watched over by the vigilant eye of the Virgin Mary.
That is why my research focused on the structural elements employed to construct the image of Boka Kotorska as the garden of Mary on earth. This implied the study of sacral topography of the terrain and the ubication of strategically significant points chosen to house churches dedicated to the Virgin. The projection of the Virgin's kingdom on earth was an image built through the efforts of humanists, poets, priests, religious orders, confraternities, the wealthy, and educated individuals – patrons from Boka Kotorska. Although it is impossible to precisely delineate the activities of each individual group, for the sake of clarity they are discussed within separate chapters. Within the framework of those headings, the specific qualities of liturgy, Marian doctrine, expressions of popular piety and the most significant works of art were studied.
Particular attention was focused on the role of miracle-working icons which stood at the semiotic core of the building programs of churches as well as at the heart of the programs of their decoration, in painting and sculpture. The most highly venerated of them all, Gospa od Škrpjela (Our Lady of the Reef), was the focus of pilgrimage and the object of votive gifts, significant phenomena investigated in especially dedicated chapters within this book.
The role of miracle-working icons of the Virgin as the essential element in forging the integrity and unity of the city – spiritual and political, territorial and social – is a subject of special interest. Their significance in that process was expressed most clearly in the course of public manifestations, urban rituals, processions and sacral dramas. These questions, of particular interest to me, are given the largest space, inspiration and liberty in interpretation and the process of forming conclusions.
Because I strove to write a book with the intention of placing these phenomena within a historical framework, while also speaking of the way in which a specific work of art «functions», how it affects the emotions and activities of men, I relied on the results of various affiliated humanistic sciences and disciplines, especially historical anthropology and sociology. In my task to historicize an artistic phenomenon I had to combine a wealth of diverse material and different methodological strategies. It turned out that that the historical components of an artwork could indeed be harmonized with the study of its vitality and efficiency.