PhD Mirko Stanimirovic, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture in Nis, is one of a few versatile persons, who has Renaissance interest in numerous areas of art and culture in general. His knowledge of contemporary architecture, painting, history of architecture and art, religion, philosophy, social history and anthropology is so profound that enables him to do researches, where he successfully connects all of the above areas.

The fact that he works in Nis, but still resides with his family in Pirot, best testifies about his affection and love for the town whose atmosphere, made both of people and buildings, inspires him to such extent that he is experiencing it on the golden background, even though the real state of the architectural heritage, to which his attention is specifically directed, is quite far from the idyllic.

Pirot certainly is not a“golden Prague”, but in the black and white photographs en- riched with golden background as a sky, Mirko Stanimirovic iconically presents Pirot, with obvious regret for the lost architectural wealth.

The vision that only some of the well- preserved buildings and most of dilapidated buildings but nevertheless of exquisite and great value have been presented on the golden background, return the spectators instinctively to the ancient times, when in the early Christian and Byzantine arts, the blue sky was replaced with golden colour to symbolically represent the ethereal depth of the heavens as a vision of the perfect happiness from the past that gives hope in better future.

By using this process, Mirko Stanimirovic got very close to the Christian orientation towards the symbols, in other words, the extraction of the essence of an idea, to which the allegories, personifications or other procedures of presenting the author’s attitude are strange.

Summarizing comments on the exhibition of “The Golden Architecture of Pirot”, by PhD Mirko Stanimirovic, a concise, convincing conclusion is imposed. Love for Pirot is forcing the author to perceive it in his visions and performances the way he would like it to be, not the way it is in a real life. It is, undoubtedly, a powerful message to all who have the understanding, strengths and means to direct reality to the beau- tiful vision of Pirot in the future golden mist.

 

Professor (retired) Nadja Kurtovic Folic, PhD University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Technical Sciences, Chairperson of the Council