The lecture “Meditations on the Visual Culture of Italy: Njegoš’s Grand Tour“ by 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”, held in the Gallery of the National Museum Kraljevo, on Thursday, September 19th, 2024, starting at 7 p.m., as part of the exhibition “Inspired by Italy”.
At the beginning of the program, Tatjana Mihailović, PhD, museum advisor of the National Museum Kraljevo, greeted the audience and introduced the guests. Prof. Saša Brajović spoke about the journey of Petar II Petrović Njegoš in Italy from November 1850 to August 1851, after which he died soon after, in October of the same year. Due to its character, the trip belonged to the so-called “Grand Tour”, one of the distinct phenomena of European culture of the 19th century, and Njegoš undertook it, partly, in the company of the writer Ljubomir Nenadović. In this type of artistic pilgrimage, Njegoš follows an itinerary that visits places, urban units, landscapes, museums, galleries, palaces, as well as the graves of famous painters and poets, such as Virgil’s and Raphael’s graves, as well as many famous Renaissance figures buried in the church of the Holy Cross (Santa Croce) in Florence. Poets such as Goethe, and especially Byron, made a great contribution to the shaping of the route of this, who gave romantic shine and meaning to many specific places and personalities, which today history does not see as significant. A special review is given to Raphael’s painting “The Transfiguration of Christ” (1620, Pinakothek, Vatican Palace), in front of which the poet sat for a long time and visited it several times. It is also Raphael’s last painting, created in the days of his death. She has a special place in Njegoš’s thoughts, especially since he himself felt the proximity of his death, which followed upon his return.
Part of the lecture also refers to Njegoš’s appearance in Montenegrin costume, which attracted attention wherever he appeared. His popularity was great, and it started to make him uncomfortable. The lecture does not only analyse what Njegoš saw, but also a reflection on the ways in which Italian landscapes, cities and artifacts were presented to him, i.e. the presentation is composed of selected pictures and illustrations that reconstruct the Italian landscapes of that time. One of the most important questions to which prof. Saša Brajović answers why he watched it and how he watched it.