History of the Serbs, Art Style

Serbians have long been a forgotten treasure in art history. Maybe not in individual works or artists such as Arsenije Arsa Teodorovic, but looking back, there are definitely some things to be seen. For example, in the Midieval era, before Serbia officially converted to a Christian Nation, there was an acropolis in the provence of (what is now called) Leskovac that was home to many temples and churches to the gods. Although all the temples on the acropolis were beautiful, the most deserving of our attention, and possibly the most famous Serbian artwork is the Studenica Monastery in Kraljevo (central Serbia). The Orthodox monastery is styled in the 13th/14th Century Byzantine way with frescos lining the historic walls.

Like the culture and people, the art and painting style developed with the country. During and after the Ottoman Empire conquered the land, the art movement suffered what appeared to be a permanent extinction. But like the citizens, the art society snapped back and quickly fell into step with the prominent art producing nations of the time. Thank-goodness it did, or art today would be suffering some of its great works.