Transcultural itineraries of architect Milan Zloković

Abstract

The paper looks in more detail into the biography of one of the most prominent modern architects in Serbia, Milan Zloković (1898, Trieste - 1965, Belgrade), by focusing on the multicultural contexts of his childhood, youth and education as possible sources of his particular creative disposition and habit of mind. The argument is centred on exploring the course of the architect's interests, impressions, and studies, as they changed over the years in the complex historical conditions of the opening decades of the twentieth century. The paper argues that experiences from this period formed what is termed as the identity of multiple geographies, which guided much of Zloković's predilection in his later architectural work, and provided a transcultural frame of reference and breadth to his research. Traced back and analyzed against the biographical facts and events, are excerpts from his later articles and scholarly papers, most notably the ones where he provides references to architectural history of, inter alia, Byzantine architecture in Macedonia, medieval Serbian architecture, Italian Baroque, or traditional architecture of Boka Kotorska. The aim of the research is to contribute to a broader understanding of the complex cultural basis and polyvalent discourse of Serbian modernism, in the foundation of which Milan Zloković had a decisive role.