MASK AS AN IMAGE OF THE WORLD
The study analyses the grounds for the general art history overview by Oto Bihalji Merin (1904-1993). His texts recognize the concept of the mask as a key one. The paper analyses how the concept of the mask influences his definition of art, determines (in a multidisciplinary manner) his approach to art studying, expends the scope of interest to anything that can be taken for a mask and defines the anthropological meaning of visual culture research. The concept of a mask is studied as an aid in redefining art and structuring a new general overview of art history, based on a display of the visual side of key human activities.