Kruno Prijatelj (1922–1998), was a

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

art historian Art history is the study of artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Traditionally, the ...

art critic An art critic is a person who is specialized in analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating art. Their written critiques or reviews contribute to art criticism and they are published in newspapers, magazines, books, exhibition brochures, and catalogue ...

and

University professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a 'person who professes'. Professors ...

. He introduced many artists who contributed to art in

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...

. Prijatelj's efforts answered many unsolved topics in Dalmatian art history. His interest on

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

in Dalmatia, led him to be called Prijatelj od Baroka (Friend of the Baroque).This is an untranslatable play on words in english, since prijatelj in Croatian means friend

Early life

Prijatelj was born in

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...

. He grew up during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He studied art history in

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

and

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. Eventually he graduated from the

University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb (, ) is a public university, public research university in Zagreb, Croatia. It is the largest Croatian university and one of the oldest continuously operating universities in Europe. The University of Zagreb and the Unive ...

in 1946. The following year he received his Ph.D. in Zagreb. His thesis was on the Baroque period in Split. Between 1950 - 1979, he worked as the director in Gallery of Fine Arts in Split. These were his most fertile years. Prijatelj was the most important Croatian scholar of his generation in Dalmatian art history, particularly in the Baroque period. He wrote about the figures of Dalmatian art, and rediscovered lesser-known artists such as

Matteo Ponzone Matteo Ponzone (17th century) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active between 1630 and 1700 mainly in Venice. He was a pupil of Santo Peranda. Several of his works are in the churches and public buildings of Venice, particularly in Sa ...

. He attributed several works to , an itinerant Italian painter with scattered works between

Zadar Zadar ( , ), historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian, ; see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Croatia. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar ...

Trogir Trogir () is a historic town and harbour on the Adriatic coast in Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia, with a population of 10,107 (2021) and a total municipal population of 12,393 (2021). The historic part of the city is situated on a small island ...

, Split,

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik, historically known as Ragusa, is a city in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, by the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, a Port, seaport and the centre of the Dubrovni ...

Ston Ston () is a settlement and a municipality in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia, located at the south of isthmus of the Pelješac peninsula. History Because of its geopolitical and strategic position, Ston has had a rich history since ...

and

Čiovo Čiovo (pronounced ) is an island located off the Adriatic coast in Croatia with an area of (length , width up to ), population of 5,908 inhabitants (2011). Its highest peak is the 218 m Rudine. The centre of the island has geographical coord ...

. Beginning in 1972, he taught contemporary art history at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb, as adjunct professor. From 1979, he taught art history at the

University of Zadar The University of Zadar (, ) is a public university located in Zadar, Croatia. The university in its present form was founded in 2002, but can trace its lineage to 1396, thus making it the oldest higher education institution in Croatia, and one ...

until his retirement in 1991. Since 1968, he was a regular member of

Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts The Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (; , HAZU) is the national academy of Croatia. HAZU was founded under the patronage of the Croatian bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer under the name Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts (, JAZU) since its ...

. He died in

in 1998.

Selected works

His works include: * ''Barok u Splitu'', Split 1947 * ''Ivan Duknović'', (1957.) * ''Studije o umjetninama u Dalmaciji'' I, Zagreb 1963 * ''Klasicistički slikari Dalmacije'', Split 1964 * ''Le opere di Matteo Ponzone in Dalmazia '', in Arte Veneta, XX, 1966, pp. 153–154. * ''Slikar Blaž Jurjev'', 1965 * ''Studije o umjetninama u Dalmaciji'' II, Zagreb 1968 * ''Studije o umjetninama u Dalmaciji'' III, Zagreb 1975 * ''Studije o umjetninama u Dalmaciji'' IV, Zagreb 1983 * ''Dalmatinsko slikarstvo 15. i 16. stoljeća'', Zagreb 1983 * ''Antun Motika'' (1902.-1992.), Zagreb 1992 * ''Kroz povijest umjetnosti u Dalmaciji (XIII-XIX. st.)'', Split 1995

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Prijatelj, Kruno 1922 births 1998 deaths Writers from Split, Croatia Members of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts Croatian art historians Croatian art critics Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb alumni Academic staff of the University of Zagreb Yugoslav historians Academic staff of the University of Zadar