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Sketches and study drawings, which precede the execution of the final sculpture or, in turn, sculptural studies of small-scale sculptures, offer an immediate insight into the development of the artist’s vision and further elaboration of the theme. A large number of drawings from the Meštrović Gallery collection also tell of the consideration of materials for the final execution, so in many of them we notice placement of the figures, as well as further development of sculptural form, within the cube of the stone block. In drawing studies, we experience the creative process, observe formal and compositional variations, and follow the development of individual details, realising how much work, planning, experimentation, changes and additions are required for an artistic vision to come to life in a two-dimensional, and later three-dimensional medium. We experience the freshness of that vision precisely in the initial sketch.
In his essays on Michelangelo (2010: 153), Meštrović talks about the specific value of unfinished works, studies and sketches: “Why are work sketches often the most interesting? Because they were created directly under the influence of a creative impulse and are the least staged. (…) This effort, this creative zeal is on the rise until creative élan becomes equivalent to that vision, and is then on the decline, when mostly knowledge and skill take over.”
Seated Woman (Study for My Mother at Prayer)
1912 – 1914
pencil on paper
11.5 x 8.8 cm
inv. no. GMS-412
The central motif of an unusually small drawing with irregular edges, is a depiction of a seated women with hands clasped and head wrapped in okruga – a recognisable headscarf that is part of the folk costume in the Dalmatian Hinterland. This is a study that can be connected to two sculptural renderings: My Mother (1908.), and My Mother at Prayer (1926.).n the first version, the artist sculpted his mother Marta as a frontally positioned seated figure, her hands lowered and folded in her lap, with a dignified and serious facial expression. The sculpture My Mother was created at the same time as Meštrović’s Vidovdan Temple fragments, and they were often exhibited together. The role of women and mothers in the Vidovdan myth is connected to “national survival”.
With its title and compositional approach, the second sculpture – My Mother at Prayer1 s very close to the motif in the drawing. Here, the hands are raised, emphasising the supplicating act of prayer, while the facial expression, with an open mouth, slated eyelids and eyebrows, further emphasises the expression of grief. The drawing features expressionistic stylistic elements, so it should be dated to the eve of World War I or at its beginning.2
Two Crucifixes
(Study for the Crucifix at Crikvine, Kaštilac)
Geneva, 1916
pencil on paper
25.3 x 20.2 cm
inv. no. GMS-489b
The drawing is a study for the Large Crucifix,, which Meštrović created in Geneva in 1916, during his exile, when he was working in a provisional studio in wood, the only material he could acquire in wartime conditions.
At the time of its creation, the Large Crucifix, which is today located in the small church of the Holy Cross in Meštrović’s Crikvine, Kaštilac and is considered a masterpiece of the artist’s expressionist style, provoked completely different reactions. During the presentation in the Church of St. Blaise in Zagreb, Meštrović’s vision of Christ was met with great indignation, primarily from Izidor Kršnjavi, who called him a “crucified monkey” in the press in 1921.1 Later, it was exhibited for some time on the altar of the Church of St. Mark in Zagreb, but “because of popular outrage at its expressionist deformation, it was removed and replaced by a more realistic work”. (Kečkemet 1986).
Meštrović’s tendency to deform the body at the time is evident both in the study drawing and the sculpture, in the unnatural position of broken limbs and the depiction of the lifeless and dematerialised, almost emaciated body of Christ. In addition, he emphasised the feeling of discomfort and nervous tension with accentuated, almost grotesque details, like the unnaturally long fingers, caricatured protruding knees and pronounced ribs. This manner of rendering Christ, as he interpreted it himself, was not supposed to represent the historical Christ, but “the crucifying of his idea, the twisting and distortion of his teaching”.
Study for Domagoj’s Archers
Cannes, 1917
pencil on paper
24.6 x 33.6 cm
inv. no. GMS-439
The first time Meštrović depicted this important theme from Croatian national history was in 1917 in a plaster relief Domagoj’s Archers (today part of the collection of Tate Britain in London), devoting himself to the visual representation of the Croatian Duke Domagoj (864 – 876) and his navy. Duke Domagoj had led successful campaigns against Byzantium and Venice, paving the way for future Croatian independence. Regarding this relief Milan Ćurčin (1933) asserted: “This is one of the series of fragments that Meštrović intended to use to depict the legendary history of the Croatian Littoral. But apart from this relief, he only completed a few more drawings.” The Meštrović Gallery collection of drawings contains as many as 15 drawings on the subject.1
Meštrović treats the same theme again in 1923 in two lithographic sheets (Domagoj’s Archers and Domagoj’s Warriors), as part of a Lithographic Portfolio, and in the medal of the Falcon Gymnastics Festival from 1931. In 1955, he returns to the theme again by carving the relief Domagoj’s Archers in his American studio at Notre Dame University. Mate and Rumjana Meštrović donated this relief to the Ivan Meštrović Museums, and since 2018 it has been on permanent display in the Meštrović Atelier in Zagreb.
With the repetition of the warrior’s bodies and identical typified physiognomies, the composition of the drawing gains considerable dynamism, even spatial structure. Meštrović creates them by overlapping the characters in an isocephalic sequence, repeating the same position, alluding to movement. Dynamic lines are united in a common feature – the weapons, either swords or arrows – which represent a united and shared struggle.
Lit.: ĆURČIN 1933.
Bibl.: PRANČEVIĆ 2004: kat. br. 21.
Izl.: Zagreb 1983. – 1984. Split 2004. Zagreb 2004 b.
1 The series of drawings of Domagoj’s Warriors can be found in the Meštrović Gallery collection under the following inv. numbers: GMS-142, 156a, 156b, 273b, 344, 365, 427a, 439, 444a, 458, 459, 476, 602, 603a, 610.
Amor and Psyche
1918
pencil on paper
32 x 26.5 cm
inv. no. GMS-427b
The drawing depicting the moment of Amor and Psyche sharing a kiss can be connected to the study for the eponymous relief built into the atrium of the Meštrović Atelier in Zagreb. The two faces of the protagonists are locked in a kiss, their eyes closed, and hidden by the ornately decorated wings. The method of shading with a spiral line is characteristic of a large number of drawings in the gallery holdings that can be dated to the same period (1917 – 1918). As Prančević (2004: XI) interprets: “The closed eyes of the figures are a literal projection of the ancient story about the ban on any visual contact between the mortal, Psyche, and the deity, Amor, during their intimate encounters”.
Bibl.: PRANČEVIĆ 2004: kat. br. 29.
Izl.: Split 2004. Zagreb 2004 b.
Head of a Man I (Moses)
c. 1918
pencil on paper
32.3 x 25 cm
inv. no. GMS-447
The method of shading with a spiral line is characteristic of a large number of drawings in the gallery holdings that can be dated to the same period (1917 – 1918), and it coincides with the time of creation of the marble sculpture Head of Moses, which is today part of the holdings of the Meštrović Atelier in Zagreb. The voluminously shaped beard and hair, the type of thick, rounded horns on top of the forehead and the traditional Jewish skullcap “a kippah” (which is visible in profile view in the drawing inv. no. GMS-448) connects these drawings with the aforementioned sculpture.
Meštrović takes the typology of Moses with the characteristic horns from Michelangelo, as a sign of being inspired by divine light. Certainly, the greatest Jewish prophet is the motif of many of Meštrović’s early and later works, both in sculpture (1915, 1918, 1925, 1934, 1952) and in drawing (such as, for example the drawings for the decoration of the dome in Otavice, 1938).
Crucifix with Studies for the Head of Christ
c. 1922.
pencil and red pastel on paper
29.3 x 23 cm
inv. no. GMS-450b
The drawing is a study for the Crucifix in the Chapel of the Crucified Christ in the Račić Family Mausoleum in Cavtat. On the left and the right side of the central representation of the Crucifix, there are studies of the head shown frontally and in profile, as well as studies of Christ’s foot and hand pierced by nail. The central representation of the Crucified Christ is largely consistent with the sculptural execution, especially around the abdomen. Shading with short lines evokes anatomical details: the retracted abdomen, prominent ribs and weak chest and shoulder muscles that are discernible under the thin epidermis. The leg position is identical to the sculptural version. What will not remain in the latter is the position of the head, which will eventually be shown in profile with the chin slightly tilted down. The aureole will, as in the drawing, retain the frontal view without perspective shortening. One of the studies of the head on the right side of the drawing – the one in profile, matches the final sculptural version in many details: head tilt, closed eyelids, sunken cheeks, straight nose line, slightly open mouth and the stylised braided crown of thorns.
Izl.: Zagreb 1983. – 1984.
Study for Contemplation
probably Zagreb, 1923
pencil on paper
25.5 x 20.4 cm
inv. no. GMS-495
The drawing is a study for Contemplation, a sculpture carved in Carrara marble, Meštrović’s major work of Art Déco provenance, in which he achieved the highest degree of geometrization and simplification. With its pure forms, a symmetrical composition and finely polished marble surface, the sculpture conveys the theme both in form and substance – complete harmony, poise and calm, it was recognised even at the time of its creation. Thus, the second marble version was acquired by the American city of Detroit and is today part of the collection of their art institute, while Meštrović received a gold medal at the international exhibition in Barcelona in 1929 for the bronze version.
The drawing clearly reveals how Meštrović builds the sculpture from a block of stone, and his adaptation of the compositional pattern to the material.
The drapery falling from the head over the arms and body, which is faithfully represented by the drawing, was especially challenging to transfer to stone. Meštrović showed exceptional sculpting skill here. This is especially visible on the back of the sculpture, where the body is discernible under the drapery, thus achieving the impression of a living, organic body.
Bibl.: PRANČEVIĆ 2004: kat. br. 33. PRANČEVIĆ 2008 a: kat. br. 13.
Izl.: Split 2004. Cavtat 2004. Hvar 2004. Zagreb 2004 b. Slavonski Brod 2008. Bjelovar 2019.
Girls with Lutes (Studies for the relief built into the porch of the Meštrović Gallery in Split)
probably Zagreb, 1926 – 1927
pencil on paper
31 x 40.8 cm
inv. no. GMS-583
The drawing is a study for the relief Girl with a Lute, built into the porch of the Meštrović villa at Meje – the Meštrović Gallery. Its formal features are very similar to the wooden relief Christ and the Samaritan Woman displayed in the small church of the Holy Cross at Meštrović’s Crikvine, Kaštilac, and it can be dated to the same period, in 1927 (Prančević 2004: XVII). The porch, however, was not built until 1938 – 1939, when the extension of the western part of the villa was completed and the spacious porch was also decorated. In three study drawings, we observe the sculptor’s consideration of the composition within the given framework and the adjustment of the position of the body and limbs, the styling of hair and drapery…
Bibl.: PRANČEVIĆ 2004: kat. br. 53.
Izl.: Zagreb 1983. – 1984. Split 2004. Zagreb 2004 b.
Study for Psyche
probably Zagreb, 1927
charcoal on paper
56 x 38.4 cm
inv. no. GMS-372
The drawing is a study for the monumental sculptural work Psyche. In addition to this, the Gallery holds several other drawing studies in its holdings (GMS-371a and GMS-371b), and a small sculptural study is kept in the Meštrović Atelier in Zagreb. As Vujanović (2016: 80-81) interprets:
“It arose as a personal interpretation of Rodin’s Meditation, also known as the Inner Voice (1896); the work constitutes the essence of dealing with the theme of the mortal woman, fatally in love with Amor, and the essence of the understanding to date of the Antique, Michelangelo’s and Rodin’s heritage. (…) The figure with its lightly bent body, with the characteristic turn of the head towards the shoulder, devoid of arms, is tautly charged with some unassuaged sensuality. The lone mistress dreams with unquenchable passion of union with Amor. Meštrović by returning to Michelangelo and Rodin identified himself for perpetuity with his eternal origins – the Mediterranean.”
Bibl.: PRANČEVIĆ 2004: 44, kat. br. 55. PRANČEVIĆ 2008 a: 18, kat. br. 28. VUJANOVIĆ 2016: 80-81.
Exb.: Zagreb 1983. – 1984. Split 2004. Cavtat 2004. Hvar 2004. Zagreb 2004 b. Slavonski Brod 2008. Zagreb 2016. Ljubljana 2018. Prag 2022. – 2023.
Study for Psyche
probably Zagreb, 1927
charcoal on paper
55.9 x 38 cm
inv. no. GMS-371a
The drawing is a study for the monumental sculptural work Psyche. In addition to this, the Gallery holds several other drawing studies in its holdings (GMS-371a and GMS-371b), and a small sculptural study is kept in the Meštrović Atelier in Zagreb. As Vujanović (2016: 80-81) interprets:
“It arose as a personal interpretation of Rodin’s Meditation, also known as the Inner Voice (1896); the work constitutes the essence of dealing with the theme of the mortal woman, fatally in love with Amor, and the essence of the understanding to date of the Antique, Michelangelo’s and Rodin’s heritage. (…) The figure with its lightly bent body, with the characteristic turn of the head towards the shoulder, devoid of arms, is tautly charged with some unassuaged sensuality. The lone mistress dreams with unquenchable passion of union with Amor. Meštrović by returning to Michelangelo and Rodin identified himself for perpetuity with his eternal origins – the Mediterranean.”
Bibl.: PRANČEVIĆ 2004: 44, kat. br. 55. PRANČEVIĆ 2008 a: 18, kat. br. 28. VUJANOVIĆ 2016: 80-81.
Exb.: Zagreb 1983. – 1984. Split 2004. Cavtat 2004. Hvar 2004. Zagreb 2004 b. Slavonski Brod 2008. Zagreb 2016. Ljubljana 2018. Prag 2022. – 2023.
Two Seated Women
probably Zagreb, 1927
pencil on paper
37.5 x 46.8 cm
inv. no. GMS-542a
The drawing study for the marble relief In Despair clearly shows Meštrović fitting the composition within the given framework – the solid shape of a stone cuboid, which he will consistently implement in sculptural form. The latter will be even more expressive because the arms are no longer outstretched as in the drawing, but are clutching the scarf, intensifying the emotion of the pained facial expression.
The relief In Despair can be viewed as part of a diptych, with another, similarly shaped relief Mother Pledging Her Child. In addition to formal features, they are also connected in terms of content, and the gaze directed towards an invisible higher power (as well as offering a child) implies a direct address and surrender to God’s will.
Bibl.: Galerija Meštrović 2018: 89.
Exb.: Zagreb 1983. – 1984.
Two Standing Male Nudes
(Study for the Study of Cyclops)
probably Zagreb, c. 1928
India ink on paper
34.1 x 22 cm
inv. no. GMS-465
The mythological Cyclops motif was realised in several sculptural studies (1928) and the monumental sculpture Cyclops, which found its permanent home in the garden of the Meštrović Gallery in Split. The supernatural being from Greek mythology is synonymous with superhuman strength and is the embodiment of powerful natural forces. Meštrović depicts Cyclops in a moment of anger and demonstration of strength, when, after being tricked by the cunning of Odysseys, he threw a boulder at his ship. The comparative title – stone throwing, which was used in earlier literature alongside the work Study for Cyclops, is therefore interesting. The term which refers to a traditional game characteristic of the wider Dalmatian Hinterland forms an unusual mythological link with the sculptor’s homeland.
The study drawing clearly shows Meštrović’s focus on movement, expressed in a dramatic step forward and strong body torsion. In the sculptural execution of the Study for Cyclops, which faithfully follows the drawing study, mobility is also evident on the impressionistically treated surface.
Bibl.: MAJSTOROVIĆ 1995: 7, kat. br. 19.
Izl.: Zagreb 1983. – 1984. Split 1995. Dubrovnik 1995. Rijeka 1996.
Two Standing Male Nudes
(Study for the Console I)
1929
pencil on paper
38 x 30.7 cm
inv. no. GMS-422
The two male figures are connected with console figures that Meštrović carved in walnut, in supernatural size, today part of the private collection of the sculptor’s heirs in the US (Prančević 2004: XVIII). The positions of the two male figures reveal Meštrović being inspired by Michelangelo’s unfinished sculptures of the slaves from 1519, which he described in detail in his essays on the celebrated sculptor. In one of them he also recognises a specific mythological type – Prometheus, identified with the first figure, with raised and bound hands. In 1946, Meštrović will similarly shape the arching figure of Prometheus, testing the limits of endurance. In the sculptural version, the body is completely exposed and unprotected, and the head is violently thrown back with a painful facial expression.
Bibl.: PRANČEVIĆ 2004: kat. br. 58.
Izl.: Split 2004. Zagreb 2004 b.
Seated Man with a Book
(Study for John the Evangelist) II
probably Zagreb, 1929
brown pastel on paper
59.9 x 48.3 cm
inv. no. GMS-413
The drawing is a study for John the Evangelist, a sculpture that is on permanent display at the Meštrović Atelier in Zagreb. In Meštrović’s initial sketches for the sculptural decoration of the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer in Otavice, the figures of the evangelists John and Luke are composed similarly, as realistically shaped human figures. They are shaped with strong and pure volumes, closing the solid outline in the form of an arch, in order to adapt to the imagined semi-circular niche in which they were supposed to be placed.
And yet, Meštrović gave up his intention to place the thus shaped evangelists’ figures into the space of the family tomb. As a result of his experience of ancient cultures and direct contact with a different artistic language during his visit to Egypt, Palestine and Greece in 1927, the sculptor will reach for a completely different design solution in the final realisation of the four evangelists. The heaviness of human figures will give way to lightness of the stylised winged creatures with associated symbols, and the compositional pattern that Meštrović employs in their shaping comes from the Egyptian canon.
Lit.: JURIĆ ŠABIĆ 2019: 59-60. JURIĆ ŠABIĆ 2020 b: 85-86.
Izl.: Zagreb 1983. – 1984.
Study for Madonna and Child
(for the church of Our Lady in Biskupija)
1937
pencil on paper
44.9 x 31.5 cm
inv. no. GMS-581
The Church of Our Lady was built in 1938, at the Crkvine site in Biskupija near Knin. It was built according to the design of Ivan Meštrović on the occasion of the 850th anniversary of the death of the Croatian king Zvonimir.
Its interior design, created in collaboration with painter Jozo Kljaković, speaks of reaching for models from the old Croatian artistic heritage, the remains of which have been preserved in this area. Specifically, the church is located in front of the remains of the 9th century Basilica of the Virgin Mary and the abundant finds of several medieval churches and other buildings, which confirm the continuity of religious and secular power of the then Croatian state.
Meštrović created the statue of Our Lady (of Biskupija) for the church altar. According to the iconographic type, Meštrović’s Lady, just like the one he made for the Church of St. Mark in Zagreb’s Upper Town, represents the Seat of Wisdom.
The sculptor depicts the seat of wisdom in the usual way with the Madonna and Christ in her lap, who holds a scroll in his left hand and raises his right in a gesture of benediction. However, he adds a local meaning to his Lady, dressing her in folk costume and giving her a facial expression that evokes the serenity and seriousness of the portrait of his mother Marta (My Mother, Otavice, 1909). This drawing, in addition to two other drawing studies (inv. no. GMS-574, 580), reveal the principle of shaping in a stone block, which is visible from the drawn frame – a rectangular stone niche intended to accommodate the statue.
Two Caryatides
1935 – 1936
pencil on paper
33.8 x 21 cm
inv. no. GMS-438
Meštrović used his favourite column type in the form of female figures – caryatids – in most of his architectural projects, starting with the unrealized Vidovdan Temple. The drawing with the two caryatides can be connected with the caryatids for the “hearth” of Meštrović’s house at Meje (the Meštrović Gallery dining room), dressed in traditional costume worn by Dalmatian women from the Drniš region, as well as with the caryatids for the Monument to the Unknown Hero.
Meštrović built the Monument to the Unknown Hero at Avala, a hill located about 20 km south from Belgrade, from 1934 to 1938. He found an architectural model in the mausoleum of the Persian ruler Cyrus (529 BC), a building in the form of a stepped pyramid with a tomb on top. Meštrović left his personal imprint in the massive caryatids that support the roof of the new monument, thus becoming symbolic guardians of the unknown hero’s eternal resting place. Each of them, dressed in a characteristic national costume, represents one of the provinces of the former Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
If we take a closer look at the details in the drawing – a scarf worn high, almost covering the mouth, the left hand tucked into the pocket, the shape of the pillow-like abacus, the diameter of which is wider than the head – we conclude that this is a study for the Bosnian woman.
Izl.: Zagreb 1983. – 1984.
