Povjesničarka umjetnosti Ana Deanović i njezin doprinos povijesti fortifikacijske arhitekture i fortifikacijskoga nazivlja

Art historian and conservator Ana Deanović (1919–1989) conducted significant research on fortification architecture in the historical-artistic context of the second half of the twentieth century. Although skilled in various aspects of her profession, as an experienced researcher, she focused on researching fortification architecture and publishing works on this subject, mainly from the 1970s. She was particularly interested in the developmental stages of monument construction and the renowned architects and military engineers involved in the territory of present-day Croatia, including Michelozzo Michelozzi, Juraj Dalmatinac, Michele and Giangirolamo Sanmicheli. She presented at international conferences, advocating and warning about the fortifications of the territory of Croatia that belonged to the innovative Early Modern European types of fortifications. Deanović attempted to systematise Croatian historical fortification terms in “Glosar naziva”. This work was a novelty in Croatian art history, where she compiled a corpus of more than three hundred terms from several languages. The focus was systematically presenting the terms used in literature and historical documents. The glossary reveals that many terms were repeated due to their different meanings and were primarily listed in foreign languages. While previous scholars had noted terminological issues in Croatian art history, particularly in fortification architecture, Deanović was the first to conduct foundational research on the subject. Her research on the history of fortification architecture is significant and innovative on three levels. First, it provides insight into fortification architecture in the territory of Croatia, including both coastal and continental areas from antiquity to modern times. Second, it explores the relationship between early modern fortification architecture in Croatia and its European context. Finally, it represents pioneering research on Croatian fortification terminology.