The history and culture of the populations of the Balkan area in the modern age: a voyage through the history, the artistic and cultural expressions of these civilizations.
The catalogue of the exhibition held in Trieste reconstructs the history and culture of the populations of the Balkan area in the modern age. After the downfall of the Eastern Roman Empire, in the territories inhabited by Christians of the Byzantine Rite an identical artistic and cultural style was kept intact, united and compact, developing through decisive relationships of art, culture and power. Through analysis of the approximately 250 works in the show – precious objects, icons and paintings – from the leading museums in Eastern Europe and the area of the Black Sea, the volume focuses above all on the fascinating relations between the great secular patrons and the ecclesiastic world, from 1453 to 1700. A voyage through the history, the artistic and cultural expressions of these civilizations: the relationships between free orthodox states and the territories occupied by the Turks, the occidental “contamination” of Russia under Peter the Great, the power of the great royal families.