Public Monuments

The first public monument that Meštrović executed is dedicated to the 19th century Croatian poet and politician Luka Botić and was installed in Split in 1905. The fact that such a young artist, who was only 22 at the time, received such a public commission should be attributed to his great artistic success as a member of the Association of Fine Artists of Austria – Secession. However, his “ingress” into public spaces would provoke a long series of vociferous debates that will accompany Meštrović’s monuments, sometimes resulting in their relocation, even removal. The objections, in this case, were related to the representation of a nude body (the relief Poor Mara on the monument’s pedestal), which was considered inappropriate for public space. Similar discussions followed the installation of the Well of Life in Zagreb in 1912, as well as the Victor in Belgrade in 1928.

His monumental production will intensify in the period between the two world wars, when as many as 17 of Meštrović’s public sculptures were installed in the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and abroad. Many monuments are dedicated to great national historical figures, both in Croatia (Monument to Josip Juraj Strossmayer and Ruđer Bošković in Zagreb, Monument to Marko Marulić and Gregory of Nin in Split, memorial relief to Petar Berislavić in Trogir), and abroad (Monument to the Indians in Chicago, monuments to Romanian kings in Bucharest).

Meštrović’s sculptures in public space stand out for their monumentality, prominent silhouette, and often an expressive gesture. He paid special attention to their placement within the urban complex, taking into account the view of the sculpture, architectural background, and most importantly, the possibility of viewing the monument from an adequate distance.

 

Study for the Well of Life

Vienna, 1905
pencil on paper
10.3 x 24.1 cm
inv. no. GMS-161a

The drawing is a study for the Well of Life, the artist’s first masterpiece and also a public monument installed in front of the Croatian National Theatre building in Zagreb in 1912. The sculptural execution is characterised by the impressionistic treatment of the surface – the play of light on the agitated surface and soft contours with fluid transitions, which is an application of Meštrović’s experience of Rodin’s art. Both in the sculpture and the drawing, Meštrović examines the theme of the cycle of life through the intertwined nude figures of men and women, young and old, and harmoniously fits the characters connected by the “eternal thirst for life” into the very function of this monument, that is, the fountain.

Bibl.: ČERINA 2013: kat. br. 22. KEČKEMET 1988: 246. PORTER; FLANIGAN 1983: 8.
Izl.: Zagreb 1983. – 1984. Vrpolje 2013. Zadar 2013.

Study for the Tomb of the Poet Kranjčević

Vienna or Paris, 1908
black pastel and India ink on paper
36.5 x 25.2 cm
inv. no. GMS-224

The drawing is a study for the tomb of Silvije Strahimir Kranjčević (1886 – 1908), a Croatian poet who died at a young age. He and Meštrović were connected by a short but intense friendship (Prančević 2004: IV):

„The meetings between Ivan Meštrović and S. S. Kranjčević intensified during Kranjčević’s stay in Vienna in 1906 and 1907, when the poet had to undergo a serious operation. The relationship between the two artists continued even after Kranjčević left, and lasted until his imminent death in 1908. This drawing is one of the works Ivan Meštrović created in the context of the poet’s illness and the premonition of his death, including the poet’s portrait that Ela Kranjčević describes as a “medallion in plaster”, and the study for the poet’s tomb, he photograph of which is kept in the gallery’s photo library.“

In the study for the tomb, in the sculptural form and in the drawing, we notice figurative elements of architectural sculpture resembling the groups he designed for The Well of Life (Vienna, 1905) and The Source of Life (Vienna, 1906), with the poet’s portrait in supernatural size towering above them. The inscription on the back of the photograph showing a clay model of the tomb confirms that it is indeed dedicated to the poet: Skitze für ein Dichtergrabdenkmal (Study for the poet’s tomb).

 

Bibl.: PRANČEVIĆ 2004: kat. br. 7.
Izl.: Split 2004. Zagreb 2004 a.

Study for the Fountain of Victory

Beograd, 1913
pencil on paper
31 x 21 cm
inv. no. GMS-421

The drawing is a study for The Fountain of Victory, a public monument in Belgrade that Meštrović received a commission for from the Municipality of Belgrade in 1913. The Freedom Monument (Victory), which was supposed to celebrate the victory of the Serbian army in the Balkan Wars and the liberation from centuries-old Turkish rule, was conceived as a fountain that would be placed on Terazije. According to Meštrović’s concept, the figure of The Victor, almost five meters tall, stood on top of the relief-adorned column rising from a round pool of water. The pool rested on the backs of four monumental animals – some drawings show lions, others bulls. In addition to the figure of The Victor, the massive column is narratively complemented by relief scenes of the battle between Serbian soldiers and the Turks.

World War I prevented the execution of the originally conceived monumental composition, and it was not until 1928, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the breakthrough of the Macedonian front, that the figure of The Victor was erected at Kalemegdan. The bronze sculpture rests on the 13-metre-high Doric column designed by architect Petar Bajalović. Although the installation of the monument in the form of a nude male figure, with a sword in his right and a falcon in his left hand, was accompanied by numerous controversies and objections, mostly because of the inappropriate nudity and the absence of national insignia of Serbian soldiers, today The Victor is one of the most recognisable symbols of the city of Belgrade.

 

Lit.: GRUJIĆ 2019: 61-63. Galerija Meštrović 2018: 207.

Warriors with Guns
(Study for the Canadian War Memorial)

probably Rome, 1917 – 1918
pencil on paper
21 x 31 cm
inv. no. GMS-420a

Meštrović was commissioned to create the Canadian War Memorial, which commemorated Canada’s participation in World War I, by Lord Beaverbrook in Rome in 1918, from a piece of white marble. In 1972, it was installed as a public monument in Ottawa, beneath the Memorial Arch on Wellington Street. The two-metre-high and three-metre-wide marble relief is inserted into the sculpturally conceived grey granite frame designed by architect D. A. Topolski.

This drawing is one of the studies for the Canadian War Memorial, and the same motif can be seen in several other drawings from the collection.1 Only a part of the composition is shown here, the sculptural version of which consists of 24 soldiers in the phalanx, moving forward in lockstep, with helmets on their heads, holding rifles with bayonets in their hands. Repetition of the same movements and positions creates a rhythmic sequence that alludes to the repetitive sound of a burst of gunfire. Although the positions and movements of the soldiers are identical, their faces still have individual features and show different emotions: determination, anger and focus on combat. However, the overall emphasis is on the strong and energetic forward march, additionally strengthened by the repetition of movements, which makes this relief very close to the style of Futurism

Exb.: Zagreb 1983. – 1984.

1 The Meštrović Gallery keeps seven drawings – studies for the Canadian War Memorial: inv. numbers GMS-257b, 293a, 364, 376, 420a, 442a, 481a.

Standing and Seated Man with a Book (Study for the Monument to Marko Marulić)

probably Zagreb, 1924
pencil on paper
20.5 x 16.4 cm
inv. no. GMS-498a

Meštrović created the Monument to Marko Marulić in 1924, which was then installed at the Voćni trg (Fruit Square) in Split in 1925. Marko Marulić (1450 – 1524), Croatian writer and humanist, is today considered the father of Croatian literature. With his literary works, he promoted Christian moral values in the spirit of Christian humanism. His best-known work is the epic poem Judita (Judith), also the first literary work printed in the Croatian language, in which he advocates courage and faith in God as principles to be adhered to during times beleaguered by Ottoman conquests. Meštrović’s monument was ceremonially unveiled in 1925 in front of the Late Renaissance Milesi Palace, marking the 400th anniversary of Marulić’s death.

In the Study for the Monument to Marko Marulić, we see a sketch of a seated male figure on a pedestal beneath a large standing figure. Such a conceptual idea is probably related to the close-in-time elaborations of the Monument to J. J. Strossmayer (in 1923, Meštrović made two proposals, a standing and a seated figure of the bishop), the compositional determinants of which can also be seen in this example.

Standing Man with a Book
(Study for the Monument to Gregory of Nin) II

New York, 1925
dark brown pastel on paper (glued on coloured paper)
60.5 x 38.3 cm
inv. no. GMS-382

Grgur Dobre was the Bishop of Nin whose authority rested over the then Kingdom of Croatia, so he was known as the “Bishop of Croatia”. Together with the first Croatian king Tomislav, he participated in the ecclesiastical councils in Split in 925 and 928, where, among other things, they discussed holding church services in the Old Slavic language, which the Pope and the Latin clergy, of course, opposed. Understood and interpreted as a fighter for the preservation of national language, during the 19th and early 20th centuries, Gregory of Nin became a symbol of the desire of the Croatian church for independence. The installation of the monument to the “defender of the Glagolitic script” was intended to mark a thousand-year struggle for the preservation of national heritage and survival.

This drawing is a study for the first version of the monument, that Meštrović created in 1927, the bronze casts of which are today found in the public spaces of the cities of Varaždin (since 1931) and Nin (since 1969). The second version of the Monument to Gregory of Nin in Split is twice the size of the first version (380 cm high). Its placement at the Peristyle in Diocletian’s Palace in 1929, in accordance with Meštrović’s wishes, was accompanied by vociferous objections from the professional and public-at-large. During World War II, Italian occupying forces decided to dismantle it (1941), and it was not installed in its current location, just outside the Golden Gate, until 1954

Bibl.: ŠEPAROVIĆ PALADA 2016: 12-16.
Izl.: Split 2016.

Standing Man with a Book (Study for the Monument to Gregory of Nin) I

New York, 1925
dark brown pastel on paper
60.8 x 41 cm
inv. no. GMS-400

The drawing is a study for the first version of the Monument to Gregory of Nin. Based on the formal features, that is, the characteristic and compact strokes that provide the depicted figural composition with the sense of volume, we recognise the drawing as part of a series created in New York in 1925.

In contrast to the second, and twice as large, version of the monument which is today located in Split (760 cm high), the composition and positioning, and thus the overall impression of the original version are completely different. Gregory’s left hand, holding the Scriptures, is here lowered, thus losing its expressiveness. In the first version, the arched right upper arm is also omitted, which in turn furnishes the monument in Split with a mighty silhouette and impressiveness in the powerful swing of the right hand and expressively shaped fingers.

Bibl.: PRANČEVIĆ 2004: kat. br. 52. ŠEPAROVIĆ PALADA 2016: 16.
Izl.: Zagreb 1983. – 1984. Split 2004. Zagreb 2004 b. Split 2016.

An Indian with a Bow on Horseback I (Study for the Monument in Chicago)

1926 – 1927
blue pastel on paper
41 x 35.6 cm
inv. no. GMS-361a

Ivan Meštrović received the commission for the monument in the city of Chicago thanks to the success of his exhibition tour throughout the US, and especially after the showing at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1925. It was financed by the foundation of industrialist Benjamin Ferguson, who had allocated the sum of one million dollars for the adornment of the city with sculptural monuments.According to the original concept, the monument was supposed to consist of two equestrian sculptures dedicated to “the white and red races”. Based on the contract that Meštrović signed in 1926, the sculptor had autonomy over the entire creative process, from modelling, making plaster models to casting in bronze and installation, for which he would receive the amount of USD 150,000 after the project is completed.

After numerous comments and discussions with committee members, and subsequent changes, and after modelling the monument in the sculptor’s studio in Zagreb and casting it in the Foundry of the Zagreb Academy of Fine Arts, the monument was erected in 1928 in Congress Plaza in Chicago, at the western entrance to Grant Park. It consists of two equestrian statutes of Indians, known as The Bowman (Archer) i The Spearman.

Meštrović, however, omits the representation of tools mentioned in the title, and the action is indicated by strong movement and tense musculature, while using a stylised line and a prominent silhouette, decorative in character, in line with the formal characteristics of Art Déco.

 

When considering the general appearance of the Monument to the Indians in Chicago, Meštrović planned to install them on a very high pedestal. This idea was eventually implemented – the equestrian statues rest on pedestals only slightly lower than their height, and the total height of the monument reaches 10.6 metres

 

Lit.: BARBIĆ 1978: 76-103.
Izl.: Zagreb 1983. – 1984.

An Indian with a Bow on Horseback II (Study for the Monument in Chicago)

1926 – 1927
red pastel on paper (glued on coloured paper)
50.6 x 38.1 cm
inv. no. GMS-360

Since the original concept was to create two equestrian statues dedicated to “the white and red races”, Meštrović drew studies depicting an American cowboy and a native American Indian. The Indian with an opulent warbonnet on his head is depicted almost nude, and is covered with a pleated cloth below the waist. He holds the bow with his left hand, and draws the bowstring with his right. The musculature of the upper body is pronounced, but the position is much more static than it will be in the final sculptural version.

Lit.: BARBIĆ 1978: 76-103.

Cowboy on Horseback I (Study for the first version of the Monument in Chicago)

1926 – 1927
dark brown pastel on paper
42.6 x 31.2 cm
inv. no. GMS-355

Since in the original concept of the Chicago monument the intention was to create two equestrian statues dedicated to “the white and red races”, Meštrović drew studies depicting an American cowboy. He is fully dressed, with no details spared: a cowboy hat, a vest with a scarf, trousers with wide chaps and boots. He holds a gun in his hand, raised and aimed at the opponent. Based on these drawings, Meštrović created small plaster models for the monument which he presented to the Monument Committee. However, after receiving negative comments on the depiction of the cowboy, mostly because of the awkward position of the pointed gun and the consequent implication of a conflict between two hostile parties, it was decided that the monument will ultimately depict two equestrian statues of Indians.

Lit.: BARBIĆ 1978: 76-103.

Cowboy on Horseback II (Study for the first version of the Monument in Chicago)

1926 – 1927
dark brown pastel on paper
51 x 38 cm
inv. no. GMS-352

Since in the original concept of the Chicago monument the intention was to create two equestrian statues dedicated to “the white and red races”, Meštrović drew studies depicting an American cowboy. He is fully dressed, with no details spared: a cowboy hat, a vest with a scarf, trousers with wide chaps and boots. He holds a gun in his hand, raised and aimed at the opponent. Based on these drawings, Meštrović created small plaster models for the monument which he presented to the Monument Committee. However, after receiving negative comments on the depiction of the cowboy, mostly because of the awkward position of the pointed gun and the consequent implication of a conflict between two hostile parties, it was decided that the monument will ultimately depict two equestrian statues of Indians.

Lit.: BARBIĆ 1978: 76-103.

Study for the Memorial Relief to Petar Berislavić VI

probably Zagreb, 1933
pencil on tracing paper
24.3 x 24.3 cm
inv. no. GMS-521

Meštrović created the Monument to Petar Berislavić, Croatian viceroy and bishop (1475 – 1520) in 1933, for the town of Trogir, the place of Berislavić’s birth. Petar Berislavić distinguished himself in the fight against the Ottomans, and is remembered for the 1513 victory of his army near Dubica. A relief depiction of the viceroy on horseback within a square format is built into the wall of the town loggia, next to the cathedral, “in the walls of an old Croatian church”.

The equestrian figure of Petar Berislavić is enclosed within a square frame in the drawing as well. The horse is turned to the left and shown in motion, indicated by the raised front leg. The rest of its body is covered by a mantle, under which the contours of his hind legs will be outlined in the sculptural version. The viceroy bishop is depicted with corresponding attributes – symbols of warfare and church authority: a sword is strapped to his waist, he holds a bishop’s crosier in his hand and wears a bishop’s mitre on his head. Several studies from the Meštrović Gallery holdings show the drawing elaboration of the theme.

 

Lit.: ĆURČIN 1933.
Izl.: Zagreb 1983. – 1984.

Equestrian Figure (Study for the column of the unfinished King Alexander Bridge) II

probably Zagreb, 1934
pencil on tracing paper
30.6 x 28.4 cm
inv. no. GMS-526

The Zemun Bridge (King Alexander Bridge) was a road bridge over the Sava River in Belgrade, which was destroyed during World War II. The iron suspension bridge, built in 1934, according to the project of the Russian architect Krasnov, rested on two reinforced concrete Byzantine style pylons, with a steel cable that held the entire structure. Due to the prevalent opinion that it was stark and formulaic, the Ministry of Construction asked Meštrović to join the project of sculptural decoration of the bridge. He proposed a project with imposing horsemen that would stand on 22-metre-high columns, two equestrian figures on each end of the bridge. 

“Taken by the beauty of horsemen and history, Meštrović envisaged royal equestrian figures adorning the Zemun Bridge, the pairs of which on each side were supposed to mark the entrance to the city, that is, the entrance to Croatia on the other side” (Deanović 1986: 31-32). The horsemen were supposed to represent Serbian Emperor Dušan and Croatian King Tomislav, Bosnian King Tvrtko and King Peter I Karađorđević. Meštrović’s project caused great controversy and discussions, and in the end, it was not accepted because of the strong opposition of the Association of Engineers and Architects of Yugoslavia.

Lit.: DEANOVIĆ 1986: 31-32. MEŠTROVIĆ 1993: 215-216.

Skip to content