In our travels and wanderings through Croatia, we shall get acquainted with works of art which most directly testify to those who lived in this region before us. Let us take a look back at some unforgettable faces who observe and welcome us from the works of the Croatian fine arts heritage of all ages. From the oldest age, the time of the Greek colonization of the East Adriatic coast and some of its islands (Trogir, Solin, Stobrec, Hvar, Korcula, Vis) from the 4th to the 2nd century B.C., the bronze head of a beauty, probably Artemis, was preserved on the island of Vis. With fluttering hair tied with a ribbon and with silver inserted in her eyes, she looks at as vivid as at the time when she was first cast, almost 2000 years ago. From the Roman period we will remember, alongside the stern faces of Roman emperors (found in Pula, Zadar, Split and Nin), the lovely head of a young woman from Solin (Salonae) with a characteristic hairstyle, now exhibited in Zagreb.

From old Croatian art of the first half of the 11th century, our attention will be drawn by the face of a mother, tearing her clothes and pulling her hair in despair. The shallow relief, carved with linear graphic cuts in stone, depicts the scene of the Massacre of Innocent Children at the time of Herod (Archaeological Museum, Zadar). A rude face, almost masklike, suggestively represents the early Romanesque art in the North, once a part of the capital from the demolished Abbey in Rudine (Slavonia). On the early Romanesque frescoes of St. Mihovil in Ston (11th century), the heads of saints distinguish themselves with courageous linear stylization (with typical spots of "blush" on the cheeks), which reminds us of the modern cubist paintings. The head of St. John of the Crucifix from the early 12th century in Zadar shows a similar linear stylization, as well a profound expression.

From the late Romanesque period, numerous realistic figures or the beautiful Hellenistic angels from Radovan's portal in Trogir all well deserve our attention. From the Gothic period, when fine artists liked to "retell" scenes from life, we will remember the detail of the Hungarian-Croatian king Ludovik entering Zadar, followed by his entourage, part of a relief in gold-plated silver on the shrine of St. Simon from 1380, now on display in Zadar. From the 15th century we are greeted by a young nobleman of evocative and vivid expression, a model to the painter L. Dobricevic for the figure of St. Julian on his altar painting from 1446, in Dubrovnik. A later St. Julian, from a painting by N. Bozidarevic (1516), also from Dubrovnik, shows the development in portrait art of the classical Renaissance. To see examples of Baroque art, it is best to visit northern Croatia, which, at that time, was recovering from the long Turkish occupation, and started an intensely creative period. Examples of Baroque art are best found in the faces on the paintings on numerous gold-plated altars, mostly portraits of contemporary noblewomen. Classicism from the beginning of the 19th century is represented by the portrait of a lady by A J. Gross, while Realism in portrait art is best seen in a double portrait of a merchant from Karlovac and his wife by V. Karas. Finally, the 20th century with the search for an even greater freedom of expression, is here represented with self-portraits of three painters: M. Kraljevic, M. Tartaglia and Lj. Ivancic.

For each period and each of these particular portraits we have chosen to represent , one could find numerous equally valuable and interesting counterparts, but we shall leave that for you to discover on your own. You can find them in any gallery, both in large cities, as well as in a number of smaller ones. Here we shall mention just the Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters in Zagreb. Founded in 1862, it is the oldest gallery of Renaissance and Baroque art in southeastern Europe. Apart from the city galleries, collections of fine art can also be found within some secluded historical buildings, such as the castle Trakoscan in Zagorje or the Pauline monastery of St. Peter in the Woods in Istria.