THE CULTURAL-ACADEMIC FORUM
Pavel Đurković (1770–1830) is one of the leading Serbian painters of the Enlightenment era and holds a significant place in national art history.
In addition to his well-known portrait work, his rich oeuvre also includes church paintings, attributed to him in five Orthodox churches in the territory of the Republic of Serbia: the Church of St. Nicholas in Vršac, the Church of St. Peter and Paul in Bela Crkva, the Church of the Translation of the Relics of St. Nicholas in Sivac, and two churches in Sombor dedicated to St. John and St. George.
Despite being considered a prominent painter and a leading figure in Serbian art around 1800, due to a series of unfavorable circumstances, his church painting remained neglected and unexplored for decades. Therefore, this project was implemented to collect materials and supplement documentation on his paintings in the mentioned temples, reexamining and reattributing them, and revising the condition of the iconostases in the field. All collected documentation from the project on the church painting of Pavel Đurković has been transferred to the Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Belgrade, thus ensuring its permanent preservation.
The research and recording were carried out by a professional team consisting of Dr Vladimir Simić, art historian and project leader, Dr Daniela Korolija Crkvenjakov, conservator, Peter Krajnc, art historian and photographer, and Anđela Petrović, expert associate. The project was implemented in collaboration with the Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Belgrade, with financial support from the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia.
