The traditional international conference of the Institute for Art Studies of BAS “Art Studies Readings” was held in two modules – from 20 to 22 April the scholars from the “Old Art” module presented their research, and from 27 to 29 April – from the “New Art”. The event was supported by the Bulgarian National Science Fund and the Ministry of Education and Science.
The theme of the conference this year is “Metamorphoses”. The event was held under the sign of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Institute of Art Studies (IAS). Prof. Joanna Spassova-Dikova, PhD, Director of the Institute, emphasized in her welcoming speech, with which she opened the conference, that the Institute’s scientists have been studying cultural heritage and caring for the preservation of traditions and national memory for decades. She expressed her conviction that in these times of pandemic that has just passed, war and crises, arts and science could change the world and people at least a little and make them better.
More than 100 scientists from various scientific organizations and universities from Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Greece, Albania, North Macedonia, Poland, Russia, Great Britain, Czech Republic and Germany participated in the sessions and discussions of the two modules. They presented their latest research with new interpretations and often previously unpublished material, united around the problem of transformations of the artistic image and the specific historical and ideological reasons that drive the changes that have occurred. A highlight of the programme was the plenary report “The Charisma of Troy: the Art of Fortune, Strategy, and War” by Prof. Elena Boeck from DePaul University in Chicago, USA.
For another year, the papers from the conference will be collected in two thematic proceedings, which will be indexed and referenced in Web of Science.
