Papers by Vladimir Peter Goss
On the basis of the most recent research by Croatian linguists and ethnologists, the author has a... more On the basis of the most recent research by Croatian linguists and ethnologists, the author has attempted to identify some spots in the landscape of the medieval Slavonia which could be linked with the cult of the old Slavic god Veles the snake and his eternal struggle with the chief god, Perun. Two such landscapes are particularly emphasized: the western Papuk above Daruvar, and the Medvednica Mountain above Zagreb explained as a monumental screens on which the artist choosing prominent elements of the landscape projects some basic features of the early Slavic mythology. Thanks to the research by Ivanov and Toporov who have reconstructed the basics of early Slavic mythology, and the work of Southern Slavic scholars who applied those discoveries to the landscape, we can today speak of an archeology of mythical landscape in the area of the Southern Slavs. The research of Radoslav Katičić, Vitomir and Juraj
Fortifications, Defense Systems, Structures andd Featue in the Pastrs, 2019
The paper proposes to to ideally reconstruct types of early medieval fortresses in Croatia, follo... more The paper proposes to to ideally reconstruct types of early medieval fortresses in Croatia, following the work of linguists and cultural anthropologists. The type frequently encountered in Continental Croatia agrees with reconstructions proposed by Radoslav Katičić and based on Slavic folk poetry, e.g., a hill with palatial structures surrounded by several rings of palisade, Often described as a Heavenly Home of God Perun, it agrees with descriptions and remains of courts such as at Kiev, Novgorod, Halich, etc. Of course the type may occur also in prehistory and post.medieval period, so the final word remains with archaeologists.
Another source is the Antique tradition and in those terms the paper discusses the small fortress of Klokoč southeast of Zagreb which shows some features, e.g. rounded corners, with Roman limes forts such as , for example Tulln,. The fortress, unique in Croatia, calls for a thorough archaelogical examination.
IKON, 2018
One of the most intriguing books of the late 20 th century on experiencing art is Man's Rage for ... more One of the most intriguing books of the late 20 th century on experiencing art is Man's Rage for Chaos by Morse Peckham (1965). As opposed to common belief that art represents a drive for clarity and order, Peckham has proposed that it is a record of a "rage for chaos", a yearning for darkness and disorder. Peckham has supported his stance through brilliant analyses including that of Antoine Watteau's, Embarkation for Cythera identifying a series of 'discontinuities' of form, which ultimately leads to a new understanding of content, i.e., that the famous painting represents fraught with the pain of separation rather than the happiness of union. It is stunning how, through blind assumption and prejudice, one could confuse such contradictory emotional states as union and separation when presented in visual form. Of course, acts of joy imply their painful opposite, as the pain and anxiety of imperfection of joy are inherent in the human condition. This is most delicately stated in the wonderfully complex and ambiguous art of Antoine Watteau, as the Embarkation, analyzed by Morse Peckham abundantly demonstrates. Pain could be physical and spiritual. Its image could be conveyed to our senses by forms and contents generally expected to elicit pain, or, more indirectly, by such that do not. A master of such a subtle approach is 18 th-century French painter, Antoine Watteau (1684-1721). I will reveal and explain here my casual encounter with Watteau which turned into a lifelong friendship. 1 In the fall of 1969 I enrolled in the doctoral program at Cornell University. As most of the medieval art faculty was on leave or guest lecturing somewhere else, the course pick was slim, so I ended taking, among some other semi-relevant offerings, a course on 18 th-century art taught by Professor Esther Dotson. I thought that it would be rather simple and safe, and would not endanger my A grade average which I had to maintain in order to keep my scholarship. Was I ever wrong! The course was safe enough but not plain or simple. Ms. Dotson, seemingly a sedate middle aged lady, was a superb teacher and she knew how to sell the materials she loved and knew so well. From one class meeting to another we were getting assignments to preparing us to co-teach the class and that teacher-class cooperation worked out splendidly. Those were times of initial copying and we would get our assignments on that lurid pre-xerox purplish and smudgy offset. Reading was hard and pictures just pink blogs and smudges. Yet we enjoyed it all. One day Ms. Dotson distributed a handful of sheets from a book entitled Man's Rage for Chaos by Morse Peckham. In spite of his Elizabethan name, Morse was not a contemporary of Shakespeare, but rather a profes
Zbornik Instituta za Arheologiju, 2018
The objective of this paper is to explore the background of the fascinating Carolingian architect... more The objective of this paper is to explore the background of the fascinating Carolingian architecture motif, the westwork – turris – which
dramatically changed the cultural landscape of the European West. Its bold vertical had apparently few if any antecedents in religious
architectures of previous periods, and its appearance may be seen as a mark of reassertion of a new and more confident Carolingian
Europe. Thereby the vertical was truly “sacralized” as an inalienable element of a religious structure and it at the same time sacralized
the surrounding landscape. Instead of a low-lying Early Christian basilica with an emphasis on the interior, the representative sacred
buildings of the Mature Middle Ages sport an exciting silhouette boldly announcing their presence within the landscape.
What had happened to the “vertical” on the way from Prehistory and Antiquity, what was the role if any of the Indo-European “barbarians”
and their formal repertoire? What was the role of elements of the landscape – mountains, trees, mounds – seats of Gods, seats of
terrestrial power, eternal resting places? What do we learn from such sharp-eyed and sharp-minded persons as Pausanias, or the acts of
promoters of Christianity such as St. Boniface or St. Willibrod? At least three models seem to emerge – sacralization through identification
and naming, through addition, and by manufacturing, the latest becoming dominant by the Carolingian period.
In particular, we will pay attention to the sacred landscapes in our area as defined by Croatian and Slovene cultural anthropologists
and archaeologists, bearing in mind that next to the central lands of Carolingian Empire it was exactly the Croatian Kingdom that in its
Pre-Romanesque architecture opened doors to the turris, a new and revolutionary architectural form.
Praetoria longe lateque lucentia: Zbornik radova posvećen Vlasti Begović povodom 65. obljetnice života. Zagreb,., 2018
Bajčić na otoku Krku: pretpovijesno naselje s kontinuitetom. Uz osvrt na suhozidnu kamenu arhitek... more Bajčić na otoku Krku: pretpovijesno naselje s kontinuitetom. Uz osvrt na suhozidnu kamenu arhitekturu u priobalju Jadrana, međe ili gromače. Zusammenfassung: Bajčić auf der Insel Krk: Kontinuität eine prähistorische Siedlung. In Zusammenhang mit der Trockensteinarchitektur der Adriaküste, Grenze oder gromače. Praetoria longe lateque lucentia: Zbornik radova posvećen Vlasti Begović povodom 65. obljetnice života. Zagreb, 2018: 13-30.
The title of the article in the above cited Collection if: "Orient oder Rom 115 zeatrs later", Th... more The title of the article in the above cited Collection if: "Orient oder Rom 115 zeatrs later", The article deals with the question of "opposites" in western art and culture scholarship concluding that the only true such pair is that of the city versus the village. The paper relies primarily on the work of Pausanias and Lewis Mumford showing how little has changed throughout the history of research, and in the light if this offers new interpretation of two key monuments of western art -- the mosaics of Santa Maria Maggiore and the Palatine Chapel in Aachen.
This text was published in the Priceedings of the Conference "La reliquia del Sangre di Cristo", ... more This text was published in the Priceedings of the Conference "La reliquia del Sangre di Cristo", Mantua 2012. It deals with the Reform movement in the Eastern Adriatic and examines Croatian Early Romanesque architecture and sculpture in the light of the reform and the Investiture contest.
By discussing two works far apart in space and time, the fourth Oseberg sled (early 9 th ct.), an... more By discussing two works far apart in space and time, the fourth Oseberg sled (early 9 th ct.), and the capital from Rab in Zadar (11 th ct.) the author demonstrates how one can explain analogies between two works distant in space and time by referring them to a common indo-European bakground.
By discussing two works far apart in space and time, the fourth Oseberg sled (early 9 th ct.), an... more By discussing two works far apart in space and time, the fourth Oseberg sled (early 9 th ct.), and the capital from Rab in Zadar (11 th ct.) the author raises some issues of analogies which are difficult to account for. Both pictures appear in Josef Strzygowski's book on Early Croatian Art, and Strzygowski missed to see that the bird in the center of both representations is the same.
brađuje se fragment romaničke skulpture iz muzeja sv. Ivan Zelina za koji autori smatraju da je g... more brađuje se fragment romaničke skulpture iz muzeja sv. Ivan Zelina za koji autori smatraju da je glava janjeta koji je mogao biti dio portala župne crkve sv. Ivana Krstitelja u Svetom Ivanu Zelini.
The study is dedicated to one of the key monuments of Croatian art, the lunette of the portal of ... more The study is dedicated to one of the key monuments of Croatian art, the lunette of the portal of Trogir Cathedral made by Master Radovan and dated 1240. It contains an in-depth analysis of the subject-matter, form and content of the lunette, taking into consideration traditional iconography, and Radovan's familiarity with the drama of the medieval church. In particular, attention has been accorded to Radovan's use of formulaic materials in the light of the research conducted by Millman Parry and Albert Lord into the question of the oral tradition in epic poetry. It is concluded that such an approach may deepen our understanding of Radovan's art within the epic style of the Middle Ages, and his position as a truly significant artist at the very end of the Romanesque period.
This is an article from the Commentari 1978, and still the only complete survey of the iconograp... more This is an article from the Commentari 1978, and still the only complete survey of the iconography, iconology, style and contextual significance of the best preserved Romanesque wooden doors made by Andrija Buvina for Split Cathedral in 1214. The key point is the reading of the message in terms of anti-heretical propaganda based on prominent scholastic texts such as Honorius of Autun and Guilielmus Durandus.
A review of a very important new book.
The paper deals with the issue of two important aspects of earlier medieval art reflected in Sout... more The paper deals with the issue of two important aspects of earlier medieval art reflected in Southeastern Europe (concretely, Dalmatian and Pannonian) Crotia.i.e, the Westwork and rural Romanesque. The author has pursued both topics fore about half a century and this is a brief but thorough summation of the issue as he sees it today.
Ovaj se rad bavi kapitelom s ptičjim glavama iz Hrvatskog povijesnog muzeja koji se na temelju go... more Ovaj se rad bavi kapitelom s ptičjim glavama iz Hrvatskog povijesnog muzeja koji se na temelju gotovo identičnog kapitela iz kraljevskog dvora u Esztergomu može datirati oko 1200. Kapitel je jedinstveni svjedok velike kulturne promjene koja se desila u južnoj Panoniji tijekom prve polovice 13. st., posebice „Mini Renesanse“ Hercega Kolomana i Biskupa Sjepana II. Romanička skulptura kontinentalne Hrvatske u 12. stoljeću je niz nepovezanih radova, odraz jedne tvrde i divlje šumske i močvarne zemlje, u koju oko 1200. visoka kultura ugarske kraljevske domene ulazi na velika vrata kako to pokazuju i spomenici Gore, Topuskog, Zagreba, Medvedgrada i Čazme. Imajući na umu nizak stupanj očuvanosti materijala, ovaj kapitel ima izvanrednu važnost svjedoka ključne promjene kulturnog pejsaža kontinentalne Hrvatske početkom 13. stoljeća.
Hortus Artium Medievalium, 2008
... This paper will attempt to make some observations on the cultural landscape of medievalSlavon... more ... This paper will attempt to make some observations on the cultural landscape of medievalSlavonia and its links with the vast rural Romanesque landscape of Northwestern, Northern, Central, Central Eastern, and Southeastern Eu-rope. ...
The main subject of this study is the three – headed fragment form Vaćani in the Museum of Croati... more The main subject of this study is the three – headed fragment form Vaćani in the Museum of Croatian Archeological Monuments. The author has attempted an art historical analysis, and, subsequently placed the fragment within the context of the pre – Christian cultural landscape of Croatia. Although the fragment can not be dated with absolute certainty, the author believes that on the basis of relevant early Slavic comparative material there is a high likelihood that the piece belongs to the early Slavic past. On the basis of information of the linguistics and cultural anthropology relating to an in depth analysis of the cultural landscape, the author also raises some issues connected to the presumed migrations of the “Croats” and the “Slavs.”
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Papers by Vladimir Peter Goss
Another source is the Antique tradition and in those terms the paper discusses the small fortress of Klokoč southeast of Zagreb which shows some features, e.g. rounded corners, with Roman limes forts such as , for example Tulln,. The fortress, unique in Croatia, calls for a thorough archaelogical examination.
dramatically changed the cultural landscape of the European West. Its bold vertical had apparently few if any antecedents in religious
architectures of previous periods, and its appearance may be seen as a mark of reassertion of a new and more confident Carolingian
Europe. Thereby the vertical was truly “sacralized” as an inalienable element of a religious structure and it at the same time sacralized
the surrounding landscape. Instead of a low-lying Early Christian basilica with an emphasis on the interior, the representative sacred
buildings of the Mature Middle Ages sport an exciting silhouette boldly announcing their presence within the landscape.
What had happened to the “vertical” on the way from Prehistory and Antiquity, what was the role if any of the Indo-European “barbarians”
and their formal repertoire? What was the role of elements of the landscape – mountains, trees, mounds – seats of Gods, seats of
terrestrial power, eternal resting places? What do we learn from such sharp-eyed and sharp-minded persons as Pausanias, or the acts of
promoters of Christianity such as St. Boniface or St. Willibrod? At least three models seem to emerge – sacralization through identification
and naming, through addition, and by manufacturing, the latest becoming dominant by the Carolingian period.
In particular, we will pay attention to the sacred landscapes in our area as defined by Croatian and Slovene cultural anthropologists
and archaeologists, bearing in mind that next to the central lands of Carolingian Empire it was exactly the Croatian Kingdom that in its
Pre-Romanesque architecture opened doors to the turris, a new and revolutionary architectural form.
Another source is the Antique tradition and in those terms the paper discusses the small fortress of Klokoč southeast of Zagreb which shows some features, e.g. rounded corners, with Roman limes forts such as , for example Tulln,. The fortress, unique in Croatia, calls for a thorough archaelogical examination.
dramatically changed the cultural landscape of the European West. Its bold vertical had apparently few if any antecedents in religious
architectures of previous periods, and its appearance may be seen as a mark of reassertion of a new and more confident Carolingian
Europe. Thereby the vertical was truly “sacralized” as an inalienable element of a religious structure and it at the same time sacralized
the surrounding landscape. Instead of a low-lying Early Christian basilica with an emphasis on the interior, the representative sacred
buildings of the Mature Middle Ages sport an exciting silhouette boldly announcing their presence within the landscape.
What had happened to the “vertical” on the way from Prehistory and Antiquity, what was the role if any of the Indo-European “barbarians”
and their formal repertoire? What was the role of elements of the landscape – mountains, trees, mounds – seats of Gods, seats of
terrestrial power, eternal resting places? What do we learn from such sharp-eyed and sharp-minded persons as Pausanias, or the acts of
promoters of Christianity such as St. Boniface or St. Willibrod? At least three models seem to emerge – sacralization through identification
and naming, through addition, and by manufacturing, the latest becoming dominant by the Carolingian period.
In particular, we will pay attention to the sacred landscapes in our area as defined by Croatian and Slovene cultural anthropologists
and archaeologists, bearing in mind that next to the central lands of Carolingian Empire it was exactly the Croatian Kingdom that in its
Pre-Romanesque architecture opened doors to the turris, a new and revolutionary architectural form.
http://www.romanika.net/art-history-the-future-is-now-studies-in-honor-of-professor-vladimir-p-goss/
Please find the book under this link