Meditations on the Visual Culture of Italy: Njegoš’s Grand Tour

Lecture “Meditations on the Visual Culture of Italy: Njegoš’s Grand Tour” Saša Brajović, PhD, professor at the Department of Art History of the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Belgrade and author of the book “Njegoš’s Grand Tour: Meditations on the Visual Culture of Italy”, will be held in the Gallery of the National Museum of Kraljevo, on Thursday, September 19, 2024, starting at 19:00, as part of the exhibition “Inspired by Italy” of the Gallery.Matica Srpska

The lecture will be devoted to the journey of Peter II Petrović Njegoš in Italy from November 1850 to August 1851. According to the way it went, the places and artifacts that Njegoš saw, this journey was the so-called “Grand Tour”, one of the distinct phenomena of European culture of the 19th century. Njegoš’s communication with many segments of Italian culture and the duality of his impressions will be presented – simultaneous wonder at transience and joy at the beauty of Italy. The method of construction of Njegoš’s traveller’s view will be considered, concepts and phenomena, literature and personalities that influenced him will be pointed out. The places (urban units, landscapes, museums, galleries, palaces) where Njegoš was will be identified, but it will not only be an inventory of what Njegoš observed, but also a reflection on the ways in which Italian landscapes, cities and artifacts were presented to him. , as well as about the echo that their presentation at that time caused in him. The lecture not only analyses what Njegoš saw, but also answers the question of why he saw it and how he saw it.