Arhitektonska enciklopedija Beograda XIX i XX veka by Slobodan Giša Bogunović (review)

Abstract

578 SEER, 85, 3, JULY 2OO7 inevitably there are too few illustrations, although twelve in colour isnot bad. The Academy ofArts did not 'ignore theproblem of religious imagery' (p. 20), but had an icon-painting section, not surprisingly as its graduates painted icons (Western-style) forprestige churches. One would have appreciated some discussion of the [non] role ofwomen before the 1940s, inview of accusations of the 'emasculation' of Palekh designs earlier and, more widely, some consid eration of Palekh as the soft, insinuating face of 'humanistic' Soviet culture, that bewitched many a tourist. Overall, though, this is an original and fascinating book. The author does well to maintain a sceptical stance about 'national utopias', suggesting 'a more nuanced picture of Soviet cultural construction' (p. 125), inwhich Russian identitywas far from being a victim. School ofSlavonic andEast European Studies Lindsey Hughes University CollegeLondon Bogunovic, Slobodan Gisa. Arhitektonska enciklopedya Beograda XIX iXX veka. 3 vols. Beogradska knjiga, Belgrade, 2005. 1518pp. Bibliography. Index. 70.99: $85.90. Slobodan Gisa Bogunovic has written a detailed architectural history of Belgrade with itspublication sponsored by UNESCO. The work comes in three volumes organized along encyclopaedic principles: volume 1, Arhitektura; volume 2, Arhitekti;volume 3, Pojmovi. Entries are given alphabetically with multiple cross references to guide the reader to relevant further information. The whole is illustrated with over 1,000 images of individual buildings or urban scenes taken fromphotographs, sketches, postcards, and the like.There is an abundant range of secondary material drawn from general architectural reference books, histories of the city and of Serbia/Yugoslavia, literary texts, memoirs, philosophy, news media, travelogues, offering a broad overview of changes and continuities in the history, design and feel of the city. The firstvolume has 119entries some ofwhich refer to individual buildings, some to streets, and yet others which refer to whole districts in the city. The author describes in detail houses and structures of particular significancewith due attention to features of their design. He discusses their place as landmarks in historical events, lists the names of their individual owners, catalogues the shifting fortunes brought by wars and political upheaval which brought in theirwake changes to their functions.He gives examples of old houses which were demolished long ago and replaced by buildings more in harmony with contemporary tastes. Such transformations included thewholesale rebuilding programme of the city centre, particularly the area ofDorcol, replacing the previous Oriental appearance of the town by geometrically ordered street patterns and solid European housing in stone.While drawing attention to details on the fa?ades of themany grand public buildings which celebrated the state's sense of its expanding presence on the European map at the beginning of the twentieth century but which otherwise go unnoticed, he does not ignore lesser known oddities on more modest constructions such as the fusion of modernist and older Balkan architectural styles in the house at number 6 REVIEWS 579 Zadarska ulica erected in 1928.The varied phases in the architectural devel opment of Belgrade over the last two centuries are all represented. Traditional Balkan designs during the first rule of Knez Milos marked the beginning of the nineteenth century, to be replaced by a taste educated in theWest, followed by the imprint of Socialist Realist architecture immediately after the Second World War. Most recendy Belgrade's criminal classes, who were brought to the foreground of public lifeduring the violent chaos of the 1990s, have shown their inclination towards funding new building projects for their private residences in a highly ornate styleof conspicuous kitsch in the so-called 'turbo' style of architecture. In all, the work reveals a close symbiotic relation ship between the cityscape and the rhythms of historywhich have influenced itsgrowth. Above all, capturing the image of Belgrade frommany different angles, the author reveals itsphysical presence as testimony to the shifting waves of cultural identity marking the lifeof thisurban community. The second volume contains entries on the many architects whose work has been discussed in the firstvolume, with biographical information, the styles which most influenced them and their contributions to the emerging city.The third volume is devoted to explaining inmore detail the terms used in the preceding two volumes. These entries are references to...