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Religious themes and motifs stand out as a permanent preoccupation within Meštrović’s oeuvre, from his early childhood works until the end of his life. A more intense utilisation of religious motifs occurred on the eve and during World War I. Inspired by the general atmosphere and war events, Meštrović finds his thematic wellspring in the Holy Scriptures, especially the motifs of the Passion of Christ. The drawings that he then created are a reflection of inner spiritual need, and a commentary on the general situation and spiritual and material suffering. As the war drew to a close, he created drawings that exude a different artistic expression – they stand out for their elegance and decorativeness, revealing a new optimism.
In the period between the two world wars, the religious drawings are mostly related to church commissions (the sculptural furnishing of the Church of St. Mark in Zagreb), as well as Meštrović’s architectural activity. Specifically, this is when he distinguished himself as one of the greatest religious builders, having built churches in Otavice, Cavtat, Biskupija and Split, which also required designing a comprehensive iconographic program. He planned a particularly interesting and, above all, individual iconographic program for his own tomb – the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer in Otavice. In it, he revealed an entirely personal understanding of religion that is not limited by the strictures of a confessional system.
In November 1941, Meštrović was arrested and incarcerated in the Ustasha prison in Zagreb. This traumatic experience, filled with uncertainty and fear for his own life, as well as his impaired health took a toll on the sculptor’s mental and physical wellbeing. Artistic work, even in such a simple medium as drawing, provided great comfort, which he described in his Memories of Political People and Events: “(…) I was drawing all day long, which provided me with great spiritual relief. I made about two dozen drawings, including several variants of the Pietà, which I later carved in Rome.”
Head of Christ I
probably Rome, 1913 – 1914
pencil on hard paper
25.5 x 22.7 cm
inv. no. GMS-139a
The drawing depicts the head of Christ, tilted to the left. His eyes are closed, his forehead furrowed and wrinkled. Shading with denser pencil strokes draws the attention to the cavernous half-open mouth. The hair and beard are shaped with wavy stylised lines, while the soft shading of the face around the eyes, nose and neck creates an impression of depth. The characteristic expression of longing and sorrow is also specific to other works from the same period, such as the wooden sculpture Head of Christ and the eponymous bronze version.
By comparing the specific typology of the hairstyle and the facial expression, the drawing can also be connected to Meštrović’s plaster First Crucifix (inv. no. AMZ-172), created in Rome in 1914 (Prančević 2017: 104). In the spirit of the expressionist tendencies of the time, Meštrović tries to show the intensity of mental states, by deforming the human body and emphasising details such as the sagging skin, sunken cheeks and furrowed wrinkles. Such visual elements are used for depicting the conflicted and traumatic states of mind, as an indication of human suffering and hardship during wartime.
Adoration of the Magi
London, 31 Dec 1915
purple ink on paper
25.8 x 20.5 cm
inv. no. GMS-163
Adoration of the Magi is one of the oldest motifs in Christian art, it represents the adoration of Christ as the “King of Kings”, worshipping his divine nature (Badurina 2006: 497). Meštrović evenly distributes the participants of the scene on the horizontal plane – the three kings, an ass and an ox to the left, and Joseph and Mary with baby Jesus to the right. Jesus’ right hand is raised in a gesture of benediction. The two animals perched next to the manger bring to life the words of prophet Isaiah (1.3): “The ox knoweth its owner, and the ass his master’s crib.”
The three kings bearing gifts are shown in profile, one behind the other in rhythmic repetition and they almost merge with a parallel series of lines. The rhythm of wavy parallel lines is continued on Mary’s scarf and dress. Distinct linearity, flatness and repetition of details are a harbinger of Meštrović’s impending art déco stylisation.
The drawing is accompanied by text, which, among other things, lists the contents of the evening menu. On the back, it is revealed that the illustration and the text were executed by Ivan Meštrović, while the text was written by Josip Jedlowski. A lawyer, politician and publicist, Jedlowski was a member of the Yugoslav Committee, together with Meštrović. He provided the reading key on the back of the drawing – “Read from the end and then up!” and also revealed that the text was “written by Ivan Meštrović in an inebriated and confused state”. This unusual and original drawing confirms the friendship between the two families who spent New Year’s Eve in good company in London in 1915.
In the same year, Meštrović portrayed Josip’s wife Antonietta Jedlowski in London. The portrait was painstakingly safeguarded as a family heirloom, and since 2015, thanks to a donation from the Castro family, it has become part of the Meštrović Gallery collection.
Lit.: BADURINA 2006: 496-498.
Bibl.: JURIĆ ŠABIĆ 2016 a. PRANČEVIĆ 2004: kat. br. 13.
Izl.: Split 2004.
Madonna and Child II
Cannes, 1917
pencil on paper
19.8 x 12.9 cm
inv. no. GMS-159
During his stay in Cannes in 1917, Meštrović created a considerable number of the Madonnas and Child. The common feature of these sculptures is the contemporary compression of form and the creation of recognisable ovoid shapes. We recognise the drawing as a study for one of the classical versions of the same theme, however, this drawing possesses a certain expressive quality. As Prančević (2017: 127) notes, from the positioning of the mother and child, it is possible to connect it to the wooden relief Happy Angels. And indeed, numerous short vertical lines seem to simulate the traces of a chisel, thus achieving the expressiveness of style characteristic of wood carving.
Bibl.: ČERINA 2013: kat. br. 28. JURIĆ ŠABIĆ 2020 a: kat. br. 15. PRANČEVIĆ 2017: 127-129.
Izl.: Vrpolje 2013. Zadar 2013. Otavice 2020.
Two Madonnas and Child
probably Cannes, c. 1917
pencil on paper
34 x 24.7 cm
inv. no. GMS-138b
During his stay in Cannes in 1917, Meštrović created a considerable number of the Maddonas and Child. The common feature of these sculptures is the compression of form and the creation of recognisable ovoid shapes. We recognise the drawing as one of the sculptural versions of the same theme.
Angel with Folded Wings
probably Geneva, 1916
pencil on paper
35.6 x 25.4 cm
inv. no. GMS-145
The new decorative template will become the main feature of Meštrović’s works executed between 1916 and 1918, which, according to his interpretation, were created as “an expression of the desire and feeling of harmony between us and all things”. He will then reach for the motif of a woman or an angel with musical instruments, which he shapes using a reduced artistic language, flat and decorative, with a dose of elegance and grace. The drawing of an angel with ornately decorated wings is part of a series of several drawings from the collection with the same motif (cat. no. 57).
The angel’s face, which is skilfully shaped with a few pencil strokes, with a serene and pensive expression, and the styling of the hair with characteristic sideburns, is strongly reminiscent of the portrait of the Czech artist Růžena Zátkova,1 which Meštrović executed in Rome in 1912. He will repeat her face on more than a hundred angel heads decorating the inner vault of the dome of Our Lady of Angels – the Račić Family Mausoleum in Cavtat (1920 – 1922).
Angel with Flowers
probably Geneva, 1916
pencil on paper
35.7 x 25.5 cm
inv. no. GMS-150
The new decorative template will become the main feature of Meštrović’s works executed between 1916 and 1918, which, according to his interpretation, were created as “an expression of the desire and feeling of harmony between us and all things”. He will then reach for the motif of a woman or an angel with musical instruments, which he shapes using a reduced artistic language, flat and decorative, with a dose of elegance and grace. The drawing of an angel with richly decorated wings is part of a series of several drawings from the collection with the same motif (cat. no. 56).
Lit.: PRANČEVIĆ 2004: VIII.
Christ and the Madonna
(Pietà)
probably Cannes, 1917
pencil on paper
35.5 x 25.5 cm
inv. no. GMS-151
The theme of the Lamentation of Christ (Pietà) is one of the most represented in Meštrović’s oeuvre, to which he returned repeatedly. We can find a comparable sculptural representation of the motif with a very similar composition in the bronze relief of the same name, created in 1913/1914. In this drawing, as well as a similar drawing titled The Figure of Christ (cat. no. 59) Ivan Meštrović develops a morphology that he will soon apply in the sculptural decoration of Our Lady of Angels – the Račić Family Mausoleum in Cavtat (1920 – 1922).
We notice a disburdening in the visual and emotional sense here – with a high degree of stylisation and geometric condensation, using a simple and clean line Meštrović abandons expressiveness in favour of the decorative style of Art Déco.
Unknown Saint
(Figure of Christ)
probably Rome, 1917 – 1918
pencil on paper
31 x 21 cm
inv. no. GMS-453b
The figure of Christ is skilfully constructed with minimal descriptive elements, with only a few thin lines. The positioning of the character, whose stance is determined by an imaginary semi-circular frame, is particularly interesting, which suggests that the drawing is a possible study for architectural or decorative sculpture. The standing figures of saints in several other drawings (cat. no. 60) have the same formal characteristics as the studies for utility objects intended for the Church of Our Lady of Angels in Cavtat.1
Bibl.: JURIĆ ŠABIĆ 2020 a: kat. br. 14. PRANČEVIĆ 2004: kat. br. 27.
Izl.: Zagreb 1983. – 1984. Cavtat 2004. Slavonski Brod 2008. Otavice 2020.
1 For example, Study for a Holy Water Vessel, inv. no. GMS-463.
Unknown Saint
(Figure of Christ)
probably Rome, 1917 – 1918
pencil on paper
31 x 21 cm
inv. no. GMS-452a
The figure of Christ is skilfully constructed with minimal descriptive elements, with only a few thin lines. The positioning of the character, whose stance is determined by an imaginary semi-circular frame, is particularly interesting, which suggests that the drawing is a possible study for architectural or decorative sculpture. The standing figures of saints in several other drawings (cat. no. 60) have the same formal characteristics as the studies for utility objects intended for the Church of Our Lady of Angels in Cavtat.1
Bibl.: JURIĆ ŠABIĆ 2020 a: kat. br. 14. PRANČEVIĆ 2004: kat. br. 27.
Izl.: Zagreb 1983. – 1984. Cavtat 2004. Slavonski Brod 2008. Otavice 2020.
1 For example, Study for a Holy Water Vessel, inv. no. GMS-463.
Madonna and Child for the Račić Family Mausoleum
1919 – 1920
sepia on paper
52.6 x 39.4 cm
inv. no. GMS-601a
The drawing is a study for the Madonna and Child ntended for the main altar of the Church of Our Lady of Angels in Cavtat. The Madonna’s crossed legs and the dynamic play of the mother’s and child’s hands connect it to the Cavtat version of the Madonna. Despite being a study for the altar statue as part of a religious object, the drawing exudes the intimacy of a close relationship between a mother and child, captured in a moment of relaxation and play. Roje Depolo (2008: 17-18) provides a description of the sculptural version:
„A high degree of stylisation and a pithy, almost abstract form of the body create a closed volume. Our Lady’s conspicuous smile is analogous to the smile from archaic Greek sculptures. This is one in a series of many variants of the same motif that Meštrović executed at the time.“
The drawing can be connected with the print sheet Madonna from Meštrović’s lithographic portfolio (1923), in which he repeats the identical position of the Madonna and Baby Jesus (Prančević 2008 b: 10).
Angel with a Violin
1919 – 1920
pencil on paper
42 x 33.8 cm
inv. no. GMS-573
The drawing is a study for a relief Musical Angels, which adorns the side walls of the main altar chapel in the Račić Family Mausoleum in Cavtat, dedicated to Our Lady of Angels. Meštrović elaborates the motif from the initial sketch in several drawings from the collection, including the details and the positioning of angels in the architectural frame. The abstraction of form with simple geometric shapes is clearly visible from individual drawing studies.
Meštrović created six different variants of angles for Cavtat, each of which is playing a different musical instrument – violin, flute, bellows, harp, guitar and fife. Roje Depolo (2008: 19) provides a stylistic analysis of the realised reliefs of musical angels:
„Gentle melodious lines of the ephebes’ soft bodies are especially graceful in their poses and footwork, embodying the pinnacle of art déco stylistics – attractiveness, elegance and sensuality of young male nudes. Even though they are angels, they radiate eros, almost frivolity, especially in the play of limbs as in the figures of dancers that Art Déco loved to portray.“
A Monk with a Woman
(Ordainment)
c. 1925
red pastel on paper
51 x 43.1 cm
inv. no. GMS-390
A man in a monk’s robe that resembles a Franciscan habit – a tunic with a hood and belt, can be identified as St. Francis of Assisi, whom the sculptor depicted several times in the medium of both painting and sculpture. The female figure shown next to the saint is probably St. Clare, a student and close friend of St. Francis, and later the founder of the Order of Poor Clares. Since St. Clare is depicted in secular clothes and with loose hair, we can assume that she is captured on the eve of being ordained. Moreover, upon closer inspection, we notice that St. Francis is holding scissors in his right hand, which he will use to cut Clare’s hair. Specifically, in order to avoid the marriage arranged by her noble family, she fled to a small church where she was met by St. Francis and his brethren. Francis then cut her hair and clad her in a brown habit, as a sign of her betrothal to Christ.
This kind of iconographic interpretation can be connected with a drawing titled Ordainment, which was exhibited as part of Ivan Meštrović’s fourth solo exhibition in Zagreb in 1932, under ordinal no. 80. Thick layers of red pastel and additional shading, which achieve a distinct impression of plasticity, are identical to other drawings shown at the same exhibition (Study for a Prophet, Mother and Child), and can be dated to around 1925. From Meštrović’s autobiographical novel Fire and Burns, we learn about his freer interpretation of the relationship between St. Francis and St. Clare. Specifically, he believed that their relationship was initially based on mutual attraction (1998: 71):
„While Meštar did not deny that this relationship was chaste, he still maintained his claim that it was initially sexual in nature, that is, that the original impulse of that friendship was implicitly sexual. He claimed that Clare’s love for Francis was conceived on the basis of natural longing and was only later transformed into a different kind of love, a love that challenged Francis’ soul and his calling (…).”We can therefore observe this drawing in the context of representing the relationship between a man and a woman, who, despite the iconographic framework, are shown in a close correlation, pressed together, their positions almost mirroring each other, like two sexes united in the same spiritual entity.
Christ (Ascension)
probably Zagreb, 1928
charcoal on paper
60.7 x 38.6 cm
inv. no. GMS-367
The Ascension of Christ, which illustrates his final departure from earth, is iconographically simplified and depicted as his figure in flight. This momentum is additionally emphasised by arms held aloft, in an almost victorious gesture, and raised feet. Meštrović created a completely different iconographic solution with a clothed figure of Christ carried by angels in the wooden relief Ascension, which is part of the Christological cycle in Crikvine – Kaštilac.
The dramatic and painterly quality of the drawing is achieved with thicker charcoal strokes. And while the outer contour lines of Christ’s body and his hair and mantle are indicated with more intense and dense strokes, the curves of the body and torso are softly modelled in transitions of light and shadow, evoking the robust and muscular body of Christ. Such a depiction of Christ’s figure with a strong physiognomy is in marked contrast with previous moribund bodies, as Meštrović depicted him in the period of World War I.
Prančević (2008 a: 18) provides a more precise dating of the drawing by comparing it to a drawing with very similar characteristics that was published in 1929, in the monthly magazine of science, art and literature La Pluma, in the Uruguayan city of Montevideo, where an exhibition of Ivan and Ruža Meštrović’s works was staged one year earlier.
Bibl.: PRANČEVIĆ 2008 a: kat. br. 29.
Exb.: Slavonski Brod 2008.
Musical Angels I
(Study for St. Mark’s Church)
probably Zagreb, 1931 – 1932
charcoal on paper
187 x 90 cm
inv. no. GMS-238
The drawing is a study for the stone relief Musical Angels which is located on the altar stipes of St. Mark’s Church in Zagreb, in the Chapel of the Incarnation. In the relief, baby Jesus is laid in the manger and flanked by angels, iconographically completing the theme of Madonna and Child – a sculpture in the round in gilded bronze installed on the altar. And while the drawings depict angels in two rows – sitting and standing figures playing music – the relief shows a simplified representation: one row of kneeling figures is depicted on the left and right sides.
Although he did not execute this kind of composition in the Church of St. Mark, he modelled it in the plaster relief Musical Angels. It was carved in 1961 out of Seget stone by sculptor Radoslav Duhović, according to Meštrović’s wishes, and is today part of the Meštrović Gallery collection.
Meštrović always gladly went back to the motif of musical angels, which he created as independent figures, such as the wooden Angel with a Flute, or to complete the sculptural program of the churches of Our Lady of Angels in Cavtat or St. Mark’s in Zagreb. The charming and elegant figures of angels, enraptured by the act of playing music, possess a touch of grace and decorativeness characteristic of the Art Déco style.
Madonna and Child
(Study for St. Mark’s Church)
probably Zagreb, c. 1932
charcoal on paper
125.5 x 90.5 cm
inv. no. GMS-256a
Ivan Meštrović created the iconographic concept of the “Seat of Wisdom” – seated Madonna with a somewhat older child in her lap holding a scroll, for the churches of St. Mark in Zagreb and Our Lady in Biskupija (Čerina 2013: 55). The sculptor, however, added a local meaning to his Lady by dressing her in folk costume and wrapping her head in a typical headscarf from the Dalmatian Hinterland – known as okruga in Croatian.
He forms the composition with short straight lines, creating an inverted equilateral triangle in the lower part of the Virgin’s legs, which also serves as a seat for little Jesus. Certain details, especially the Virgin’s face and the child’s body, are shaded, creating the impression of softness.
Bibl.: ČERINA 2013: kat. br. 33.
Izl.: Zagreb 1983. – 1984. Vrpolje 2013. Zadar 2013.
Study for the decoration of the dome in the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer: Muhammad
Zagreb, c. 1938
charcoal on paper
90 x 126 cm
inv. no. GMS-262
The iconographic program that Meštrović imagined for the vault of his family tomb is extremely interesting and complex and speaks of his specific understanding of religion, faith and art. With it, he actually wanted to pay tribute to the world’s great religions, but also to art.
Among the representatives of different religions, such as Judaism, Ancient Egyptian religion, Islam, Confucianism, Christianity, Hinduism, Meštrović also depicted Michelangelo, even himself, believing that artists, like prophets, are inspired directly by God. Unfortunately, Meštrović never finished painting the vault because of the war and his imminent exile in 1942, but he left behind more than 70 known drawings on the subject.
The greatest Islamic prophet Muhammad can be recognised by the traditional Arab headdress, known as keffiyeh/kufiya, fastened with a decorative band (so-called agal), the colour of which and material reveal the status and origin of the wearer. The prophet Muhammad (Mecca, c. 570 – Medina, 632) is the founder of Islam. After God’s first revelation, he preached a new religion based on strict monotheism and devotion to Allah. Meštrović’s study of Islamic religion and art is confirmed by the volumes kept in his library in the Meštrović Gallery: Kuran (Sarajevo, 1937) and Miniaturmalerei im Islamischen Orient (Berlin, 1923) by Ernst Kühnel.
Study for the decoration of the dome in the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer: Archangel
Zagreb, c. 1938
charcoal on paper
126 x 90 cm
inv. no. GMS-263
The arrangement of figures that Meštrović planned to use to paint the inner vault of the dome in the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer could be described as a hierarchical sequence on three levels. Above the prophets, that is, representatives of the world’s great religions, rise archangels – messengers of the divine word, on two levels. Their bodies are turned towards the central deity, in which all religions are united, because according to Meštrović’s understanding (2010: 134), “The Redeemer came to redeem humanity, not groups, sects or races. He is served by those who sacrifice themselves, who strive to raise their fellow men to a higher level.”
This arrangement is in keeping with Christian topography, according to which in domed buildings God is depicted in the very centre of the dome, the first circle around him is occupied by the Madonna with archangels and apostles, and the second by the prophets.
Its symbolism is in the gradual reduction of the share of the divine, that is, the spiritual, in favour of an increasing share of the earthly (Badurina 2006: 41-44).
Likewise, the repeated use of archangel figures in the dome could be interpreted as a further elaboration of angel heads that Meštrović previously used to decorate the dome of the Cavtat mausoleum – Our Lady of Angels. Thus, the archangels become a dedication to the late Růžena Zátkova and the very embodiment of the thought that the Czech artist penned in her last letter to Meštrović, before her death in 1923 (Meštrović 1998): “The unrelenting millstone of death grinds him to dust; but if you look more closely, you will recognise that this dark vortex is in fact an Archangel with six flaming wings, carrying his soul to the throne of God.”
Male Figure in a Circle with a Sphere
(Study for the decoration of the dome in the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer)
probably Zagreb, c. 1938
brown chalk and pencil on paper
90.3 x 62.9 cm
inv. no. GMS-292
In the centre of the dome of the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer, Meštrović places one God – “divine truth is always one and only”. This is precisely why the Redeemer at the very centre of the dome is not a Christian prophet with a book (as conceived in the first elaborations), but a figure without a single identifier except for the (earth) globe he holds in his hands, in which all humanity is united. This figure with a globe, which personifies a singular deity, is surrounded by concentric rays in a vortex, thus symbolising the infinity of the universe.
Study for the decoration of the dome in the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer: Buddha
Zagreb, c. 1938
charcoal on paper
90 x 126 cm
inv. no. GMS-265
Standing out among the studies for the decoration of the dome in the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer are those depicting the founder of Buddhism – drawings of the seated Buddha, which Meštrović elaborates in as many as seven versions, often with different types of caps, that is, headdress. The Buddha is portrayed in a characteristic seated position – the lotus position, with his right hand raised to support his chin, suggesting a more active contemplative state rather than meditation.
Meštrović found inspiration for the depiction of the founder of Buddhism in the Buddha sculpture from the Hindu-Buddhist temple complex of Angkor Wat, the photos of which he kept in his photo albums.1
Study for the decoration of the dome in the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer: Confucius II
Zagreb, c. 1938
charcoal on paper
90 x 126 cm
inv. no. GMS-266
A seated figure with a characteristic Asian physiognomy, almond-shaped eyes and long beard, represents the Chinese philosopher and ethicist Confucius (c. 551 – 479 BC). The supreme teacher Confucius was a philosopher and social reformer whose teachings laid the foundations for Chinese statehood.
Because of his inerrant moral values based on humanitarianism, benevolence and hierarchical social order, he is revered as a divine sage. During the two millennia up until the establishment of the Republic in 1911, Confucianism was the foundation of the ethical, philosophical, religious and socio-political system in China.
Prophet II
Zagreb, 1941 – 1942
charcoal chalk on paper (glued on plywood)
125.5 x 89.3 x 0.6 cm
inv. no. GMS-207
The drawing was created during Meštrović’s incarceration in the Ustasha prison on Savska Cesta (from 8 November 1941 to 13 January 1942). According to his testimony in Memories of Political People and Events (1962), he created twenty-odd drawings during that time, mostly depicting religious themes.
The themes that Meštrović reached for in his most difficult moments were based on his own experience. In the drawings Job and Deposition from the Cross (cat. no. 75), he embodied superhuman suffering, powerlessness and injustice in the trial of Job and the death of Christ. The figures of the prophets in the midst of terrible destruction, both spiritual and material, continue to preach the need to preserve the greatest human values. The scenes dedicated to Christ’s resurrection, such as the drawings Women at the Tomb (cat. no. 73) and Noli me tangere (cat. no. 74), reveal belief in the afterlife and shine with a glimmer of hope amidst conditions at the edge of human existence
Bibl.: JURIĆ ŠABIĆ 2019: 79. PRANČEVIĆ 2004: kat. br. 70.
Izl.: Split 2004. Zagreb 2004 b. Slavonski Brod 2008. Pula 2019.
Women at the Tomb (Ressurexit)
Zagreb, 1941 – 1942
charcoal on paper (glued on plywood)
177.2 x 122.2 x 0.6 cm
inv. no. GMS-209
An iconographic representation of holy women at the empty tomb of Christ (Visitatio sepulchri). An angel stands in front of them pointing to the empty tomb, and thus to Christ’s resurrection. Meštrović created the drawing during his incarceration in the Ustasha prison (1941 – 1942), which he later used as a template for the wooden relief Resurrection, that forms part of the Christological cycle displayed in the small Church of the Holy Cross at Crikvine, Kaštilac.
Bibl.: JURIĆ ŠABIĆ 2019: 79. JURIĆ ŠABIĆ; ŠEPAROVIĆ PALADA 2017: 173.
Izl.: Pula 2019.
Noli me tangere
Zagreb, 1941 – 1942
charcoal on paper (glued on plywood)
183 x 122 x 0.6 cm
inv. no. GMS-210
The drawing was created during Meštrović’s incarceration in the Ustasha prison on Savska Cesta (from 8 November 1941 to 13 January 1942). He later used as a template for the wooden relief Noli me tangere, that forms part of the Christological cycle displayed in the small Church of the Holy Cross at Crikvine, Kaštilac. In terms of iconography, the scene refers to Christ appearing before Mary Magdalene after the resurrection. She is kneeling before him, holding her arms out, and Christ addresses her with the words: Touch me not!
Bibl.: JURIĆ ŠABIĆ 2019: 79. JURIĆ ŠABIĆ; ŠEPAROVIĆ PALADA 2017: 177.
Izl.: Pula 2019.
Deposition from the Cross (Pietà)
Zagreb, 1941 – 1942
charcoal on paper (glued on plywood)
186 x 90 x 0.6 cm
inv. no. GMS-211
The drawing was created during Meštrović’s incarceration in the Ustasha prison on Savska Cesta (from 8 November 1941 to 13 January 1942). According to his testimony in Memories of Political People and Events (1962), he created twenty-odd drawings during that time, mostly depicting religious themes.
The large-scale drawing and the composition that fills the entire rectangular frame, as well as the manner of shading with short straight lines, give the impression that this is a study for a wood relief. It was however never realised, and he instead adapted the composition to the sculpture in the round that he will carve in marble in Rome in 1946 – Large (Roman) Pietà. As Šeparović Palada (2017: 7) notes, except for the Madonna in the lower right corner, the composition is made up of male figures. Specifically, we recognise the standing figure on the right, hiding his crying face in his hands, as St. John the Evangelist. Meštrović often depicts him at a younger age, with a softer and more delicate build and long, lush hair.
Lit.: MEŠTROVIĆ 1993: 301.
Bibl.: JURIĆ ŠABIĆ 2019: 78. ŠEPAROVIĆ PALADA 2017: 4-7.
Izl.: Pula 2019.
Last Supper
(?) 1941 – 1945
pencil on paper
41.7 x 41.4 cm
inv. no. GMS-604
Meštrović immortalised the motif of Christ’s last meal with his twelve disciples in the monumental painting Last Supper and the eponymous wood relief, that forms part of the Christological cycle displayed in the small Church of the Holy Cross at Crikvine, Kaštilac. A similar compositional principle and arrangement of figures can be observed in this drawing, which looks like a preparatory study for a larger composition. The illusion of space is achieved with perspective shortening (bench, coffered ceiling) and by placing figures in multiple planes. Christ’s disciples in the foreground have their backs turned, and movements of their bodies and faces direct us to the central scene – the moment when Christ announces that he will be betrayed.
In contrast to the above-mentioned painting and relief, the drawing places more importance on the shaping of space, with a particular emphasis on the construction of the coffered ceiling, just like the one Meštrović realised in the dining room of his villa at Meje. The oil on canvas Last Supper, as we learn from his wife’s letter, was “indeed intended for the dining room” (Olga Meštrović sent the letter to Duško Kečkemet on 8 January 1980). It is possible that this drawing is precisely a study of such composition for the dining room of the villa in Split, today the Meštrović Gallery.
