Art of Croatia

Croatian art describes the visual arts in Croatia from medieval times to the present. In Early Middle Ages, Croatia was an important centre for art and architecture in south eastern Europe. There were many Croatian artists during the Medieval period, and the arts flourished during the Renaissance. Later styles in Croatia included Baroque and Rococo.

Ancient monuments from Palaeolithic times are very poor and consist mainly of simple stone and bone objects.

Ancient inhabitants of Mediterranean cultures on the coast and those of Pannonian cultures in the continental area were developing Neolithic cultures in the boundaries of present-day Republic of Croatia. Neolithic is marked by the production of ceramics and sculptures with human and animal themes reduced to a symbolic art form. The most investigated are listed chronologically:

There are also Neolithic excavation sites in Ščitarjevo near Zagreb, Nakovanj on the Pelješac peninsula and elsewhere.

The most interesting Copper Age or Eneolithic finds are from Vučedol culture (named after Vučedol near Vukovar). Ceramics are of extraordinary quality with black color, high glow and specific decorative geometrical cuts that were encrusted with white, red or yellow color. Sculptures are few, but very skilfully done and very expressive (like the pot in shape of Dove with engraved double axe – labrys). People were living on hilltops with palisade walls. Houses were half buried, mostly square or circular (they were also combined in mushroom shape), with floor of burned clay and circular fireplace. Out of that culture sprung out Bronze Age Vinkovci culture (named after city of Vinkovci) that is recognizable by bronze fibulas that were replacing objects like needles and buttons.

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