Presentation of the book "The Kastav Painting School"

The formal presentation of the long-awaited monograph "The Kastav Painting School" by author Željko Bistrović will take place at the House of Frescoes in Draguć on Tuesday, June 30, starting at 12:00 p.m. This is an extensive work that examines in detail the phenomenon of the local painting school active during the last third of the 15th century across the wider area of Istria, Kastav, and the Slovenian Kras.

The Kastav Painting School, led by prominent workshop masters Vincent and John of Kastav (Vincent and Ivan iz Kastva), left behind a legacy of some of the most valuable and famous cycles of Late Gothic wall paintings on the Istrian peninsula and neighboring regions, such as the frescoes in the churches of St. Mary on the Rocks in Beram, St. George in Lovran, the Blessed Virgin Mary in Božje Polje, the Holy Trinity in Hrastovlje, St. Helena in Gradišče pri Divači, and others.

Author Željko Bistrović explains in detail all the known works of the workshop, while also shedding light on the influences of older masters, as well as the direct impacts of contemporary graphic templates from the territories of present-day Germany and the Netherlands. He also mentions newly discovered works of this school currently undergoing restoration in Kastav and Roč. Through collaboration with editors Sunčica Mustač, MSc, and museum advisor Katarina Marić, the book successfully reconstructs and presents the specific artistic climate of this narrow cultural circle, which is today—thanks to new insights—interpreted within a significantly broader European context.

This richly illustrated monograph is the result of many years of work and extensive inter-institutional cooperation. The superb photographs of the frescoes were taken by Ivo Puniš and Jovan Kliska, the precise drawings with iconographic schemes were created by Ivan Matejčić, PhD, and the book's visual identity was designed by Rajko Ban. The presented localities are the fruit of the dedicated work of numerous conservators and restorers from Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy, confirming its interdisciplinary and international value. The book was published and funded with EU funds through the INTERREG Slovenia-Croatia program as part of the Terra Gothica Incognita project, and its realization was financially supported by the Istria County and the Historical and Maritime Museum of Istria – Museo storico e navale dell'Istria.

Speaking about the book at the presentation will be Predrag Marković, PhD, Full Professor at the Department of Art History at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb, and Ivan Matejčić, PhD, Retired Associate Professor, who also served as the publication's reviewer. The gathering will be addressed by the Mayor of the Municipality of Cerovlje Elvis Šterpin, Dean Jurčić, Deputy Mayor of the City of Kastav, Gracijano Kešac, Director of the Historical and Maritime Museum of Istria – Museo storico e navale dell'Istria, and Vladimir Torbica, Head of the Department for Culture and Heritage.

Source / photo: PPMI