Thematic Guidance “Grand Tour to Italy” Through the Exhibition “Inspired by Italy”

The thematic guidance “Grand Tour to Italy” through the exhibition “Inspired by Italy” of the Gallery of Matica Srpska will be organized on Wednesday, September 18th, 2024, at 6 p.m., as well as on Saturday, September 21st, 2024, at 11 a.m. Art historian Jelena Marković will guide you through the part of the exhibition related to the study trips of Serbian artists to Italy.

The great journey of artists to Italy in the 19th century was a significant cultural phenomenon that shaped the art scene of Europe. Young artists, intellectuals and aristocrats travelled to the Apennine Peninsula for artistic education and inspiration, viewing this journey as a key part of their cultural maturation. Due to its artistic and historical treasures, Italy was an ideal destination. Cities like Rome, Florence and Venice were centers of classical, renaissance and baroque art, offering artists the opportunity to study the works of the great Italian masters.

A large number of Serbian artists educated during the 19th century at European art academies, primarily in Vienna and Munich, stayed in Italy as part of their study trips. You will have the opportunity to find out during this themed guide what their encounter with the art created in Italy was like, which cultural and historical places and monuments they liked to visit and how the tour of churches, museums and galleries influenced their further work and the shaping of their artistic expression.