Partage Plus Conference in Warsaw
International conference "Fin de siècle rediscovered. A mosaic of the end of a century: artists, events, societies, activities"
25 February 2014 - 27 February 2014
The National Museum in Warsaw is organizing an international conference: Fin de siècle rediscovered. A mosaic of the end of a century: artists, events, societies, activities which will take place on 25th-27th February 2014.
The conference is prepared in participation with MNW in the Partage Plus consortium (www.partage-plus.eu). The Partage Plus project sparked research which has brought to light a large group of hitherto unnoticed works which have not been studied in a wider cultural context. Broadening of the range of accessible works will change the perception of much of the art created around 1900 preserved in major museum collections.
Earlier studies of the art and culture of the turn of 20th century were often confined to the re-evaluation of artistic quality of works of art created between 1880 and 1914. For a long time various areas of creativity (e.g. architecture, photography or popular art) were denied any significant artistic value, which has greatly limited the scope of research. It has been considerably broadened during last decades and methodology has been enriched by new approaches. Today the evaluation of the artistic quality of works of art is not the only focus and the wider cultural and social manifestations accompanying a specific moment in the history of art attract more attention. What attracts more interest today are subjects such as the intellectual formation of artists and other people active in artistic milieus, differences in ideological attitudes (internationalism versus vernacularism), artistic creeds (between social engagement and aestheticism) or analysis of such phenomenon as synaesthesia or pantheism and new forms of spirituality.
The organizers of present conference wish to further stimulate and broaden the accepted view of belle époque and will gladly accept contributions which open new areas of research. Submissions devoted to artists hitherto neglected for various reasons are especially encouraged, as well as studies devoted to the geopolitical and historic background of artistic processes. Differences and similarities between secession movements in European countries, their reception in the New World, and the relationship between art and mass culture around 1900 are among the subjects which will receive attention. We would also like to encourage papers devoted to conservation of works of art around 1900 and technological issues. Conference languages are Polish and English. All presentations will be translated simultaneously.
