450th anniversary of peasant revolt marked through art
Kostanjevica na Krki, 19 July - An exhibition of artworks depicting peasant revolt motives is opening on Wednesday in the Božidar Jakac Gallery in Kostanjevica na Krki as part of a project marking the 450th anniversary of the Croatian-Slovenian Peasant Revolt of 1573.
Kostanjevica na Krki
The biggest mosaic in Slovenia, made by painter Ivan Seljak-Čopič and depicting a 1573 peasant revolt battle on the Krško Polje.
Photo: Rasto Božič/STA
The exhibition, curated by Miha Colner and on show until 1 October, features works by many artists, mostly from Slovenia and Croatia, who reflected on peasant revolts in different periods and social circumstances.
One of the largest peasant revolts in the territory of present-day Slovenia was the Croatian-Slovenian Peasant Revolt of 1573, a 12 day rebellion that ended with defeat of the rebels.
One of the revolt's leaders, Matija Gubec, who was executed after the rebellion was quashed, became a symbol of a people's hero resisting foreign authorities for Slovenians and Croatians alike.
There are not many historical sources detailing the 1573 uprising, and it became part of Slovenian and Croatian collective memory only in the second half of the 19th century when Slavic nations were oppressed by the Habsburg and the Hungarian empires.
It was through art that peasant revolts were brought into the public discourse as a symbol of a fight for rights of the underprivileged, Colner said.
Depictions of peasant revolts and their leaders in art flourished when the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was founded, with the revolting peasants being perceived as fighters for freedom. During World War II, Gubec and the revolts were linked to the uprising against occupation.
The peak of artistic depictions of peasant revolts came in socialist Yugoslavia when the revolts were seen as a proletarian and socialist revolution. The largest number of artworks were created on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the revolt in 1973.
After the break-up of Yugoslavia and collapse of socialism, peasant revolts almost completely disappeared from public discourse and art, Colner noted.
The exhibition is part of a joint project of six museums in Croatia and Slovenia, titled Revolt 1573-2023. The activities that started in early 2023 include various art and museum exhibitions, lectures, excursions, film screenings and workshops in both countries.