Herojstvo socijalističke izgradnje u likovnoj umjetnosti Bosne i Hercegovine
The Heroism of Socialist Construction in the Visual Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Summary/Abstract: The heroism of socialist construction, a key narrative in the process of post-war Yugoslav reconstruction, was rooted in the legacy of the National Liberation Struggle and the ideals that secured victory over the enemy. The fighting spirit of solidarity, unity, determination, and self-sacrifice carried over into the country’s modernization efforts, as seen in the widespread mobilization of diverse social groups and youth immediately after the war and during the implementation of the First Five-Year Plan (1947–1952). Bosnia and Herzegovina became a center of industrialization and infrastructural reconstruction, which inevitably influenced artistic production, especially in the years when visual art had a documentary-propaganda function, thereby participating in legitimizing the ruling ideology. Through an analysis of the institutions that regulated its production and distribution apparatus, as well as dominant conceptions of art, this paper explores how art contributed to shaping the image of heroic construction. In this context, particular emphasis is placed on the activities of the Association of Artists of Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1945 and 1952, encompassing its annual exhibitions, the related art criticism, and its role within the cultural sphere.

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