“One must be in love with eternity for the work to at least be a shadow of it.
Immortality is imprisoned within us like in a dungeon; we must release it into the light – into harmony with what is immortal around us and above us.
That is inspiration, muse, and revelation.
Ivan Meštrović”
“In his creation, a deep need to connect with the rich human experience is visible, as well as a strong presence in his time through the acceptance of modern expressions that enabled him to be understood by his contemporaries.”
“Considering the richness of his opus, The diversity of phases and the interesting worldly life he led cannot be captured by detailing every aspect of his life or by saying enough about everything. He was an exceptional person and artist, as evidenced by many interesting facts from his biography and his unique perspective on art and life.
He spent his childhood with his family in Otavice near Drniš, where he spent most of his time in nature, shepherding sheep at the foot of Mount Svilaja, making objects out of wood and stone, and sleeping under the stars. When asked in later years why he gave such high ceilings to his houses, he would reply, “My ceiling was the sky for many years.” His father carved and crafted numerous decorative objects on the windows and doors of old houses in his area, so that was his first contact with chisel and stone. He had a great talent within him that only needed time and support to fully develop.
Among Meštrović’s first prominent works was a crucifix made on his first commission. Even then, he knew how to assess. valuing his work, because when the client paid him, he refused the money because he considered it insufficient and decided to give his work as a gift instead. Soon, educated locals discovered him. One of them, the mayor of Drniš, Nikola Adžija, noticed his drawings of characters from epic poems in a tavern, underneath which were written poems in hendecasyllable verse. He gathered influential people from the area and arranged for his further apprenticeship in the workshop of the sculptor Bilinić and his wife, the painter Regina Vechietti. Thanks to the financial support of Viennese industrialist Alexander König, he went to Vienna at the age of eighteen to prepare for admission to the Art Academy. For several months, he prepared for the entrance exam with Professor Otto König, passing it with a reproduction of Michelangelo’s work “Pieta” and two sculptures of busts, and regardless of his incomplete previous education, he was accepted as a regular student.
He learned from older artists of his time. The influence of Impressionism is noticeable in his work, inspired by Meštrović. he exclusively focused on his own artistic expression. By studying the art of Viennese museums, the works of Otto Wagner, the self-taught sculptor Franz Metzner, the monumentality of Bourdelle, and Maillol’s female nudes… He delved into the art of Greek antiquity, the golden age of Greece, and Italian masters… He spent days and days in museums and cellars of the Louvre, marveling at the monumental sculptures of ancient cultures: Assyria, Babylon, Egypt, and archaic Greece.
Relying on the tradition and knowledge of his predecessors enabled him to find his own path. This was beautifully expressed by art historian Duško Kečkemet, author of the monograph “The Life of Ivan Meštrović”: “It is difficult to categorize him within a single artistic movement. His rich and diverse (often contradictory) work eludes the boundaries of art history. He was not as avant-garde as some of his contemporaries, but he possessed what they did not: a mature synthesis of the entire rich past.”
What set him apart was his approach to art; he could not conceive of art without goals and ideals that he exclusively pursued. He pursued, without beauty and value, essence and content – only with personality and originality. He emphasized the divine potential of man that always ran through his works, whether they were historical, religious or symbolic-metaphysical themes.
In his youth, he was filled with patriotic feelings and the need to liberate the South Slavic peoples from repression and foreign influence, which is expressed in the Kosovo cycle and the idea of the Vidovdan temple. It was floating before my eyes to try to give a synthesis of popular national ideals and their development, to express with stone and construction how the memory of the greatest moments and the most decisive events in our history is deeply implanted in each of us – creating at the same time a center for hopes in the future, in the midst of nature and under the clear sky.
He was also greatly influenced by world events, especially the tragic events of World War I, which prompted him to deeper reflections and a change in direction. In his creativity, he is increasingly occupied with religious and universal themes, resulting in the creation of a series of valuable sculptures with biblical motifs: Immediately after the Balkan War, and especially after the World War, it seemed to me that the ideal of a nation was too small, considering all the sacrifices and the true victory of all. However, the victory of all can only be achieved if there are no “friends” and “enemies”, when we are all brothers and humans. Thus, in the series of these ideas, I turned to objects from the Bible. The sense of universal human suffering has taken a stronger place than the suffering of my own people.
Later, his aspirations and motives become more comprehensive, linked to rich human tradition, myth, symbols, with a desire for unity and universal values. From the longing for general harmony, my newer works were created, those with musical and melodic motifs. They are an expression of the desire and feeling of harmony between us and all things. If we succeed in achieving harmony between us and everything around us, even if only for a moment, that is already something. There will come a time when they will also to a permanent harmony.
This particularity of his was recognized by others as well, so that in 1911, on the occasion of an exhibition of fragments from the Kosovo cycle in Rome, a critic from the Italian magazine Messager wrote next to a photograph of the masterpiece equestrian figure of Prince Marko: “A new art, elemental and magnificent… has appeared like an unexpected sound of a trumpet – and we understand that what is needed today is not a renewal of artistic technique, but of its essence, otherwise the decline of our civilization will become inevitable.”
Meštrović’s own thoughts, as well as his efforts in artistic creation, also point in that direction: …True artistic endeavor should be a prolonged cricket’s swan song, it should be both a song and a prayer at the same time; and what it contains should be beyond dimensions and time, it should reveal what others do not know and do not see, and not imitate what others superficially see and superficially understand, it should uncover the truth that is, and not the illusion that appears. …The connection between the spiritual and the emotional leads us all towards flow from the same sources that are constant, regardless of their changing colors or noise, their flow and pressure are the same: the pursuit of harmony in totality, which is called justice, truth, beauty, wisdom…
His contribution is not in a new style or direction, but in the power, emotion, deep universal human aspirations, and values that he managed to express through his works.
Many contemporaries admired his creativity, regardless of the fact that he was not entirely contemporary. Some even considered him one of the greatest of his time. Rodin, with whom Meštrović remained friends until the end of his life, once said, “Meštrović is the greatest phenomenon among sculptors.” And when asked who will replace him when he dies, he said, “Don’t worry, Meštrović is greater than me.”
Norman L. Rice, director of the art school in Syracuse, where Meštrović spent several post-war years as a professor of sculpture, said of him: “Meštrović’s great works are a testament to his immense talent.” “Their eternal quality is in their artistic power, which does not depend on their style or fashionable trends,” while the art critic Gerge A. Cevasko stated in 1959: “There is no doubt that Meštrović is the greatest figure in sculpture of the twentieth century. But the future will determine his place among the greatest sculptors in history.”
He drew inspiration from giants, historical figures, to whom he dedicated a large part of his work. He was proud of his country and people, and admired and respected all those who promoted humane and quality changes, those whose lives and creations left a mark beyond their time and influenced him as an artist and a person. Tolstoy had a great influence on him in his youth, Michelangelo was the greatest sculptor of all time for him, Juraj Dalmatinac was his first great role model, followed by Rodin, Goethe, Ruđer Bošković, Marulić, Grgur Ninski, Njegoš, Tesla… all of whom he lovingly and respectfully sculpted.
“Indian with a Spear”, Chicago He believed that truly valuable works are those that do not only exist within one historical period but transcend it because they have captured a glimpse of the universal, the enduring, the eternal. If we only work for this century, it will hardly survive in other centuries. This century should be intended for the centuries to come.
He particularly admired Michelangelo and his creations, and he consolidated his thoughts on Michelangelo’s art in the book of essays “Conversations with Michelangelo.” For him, Michelangelo set the criteria and ideals that he himself aspired to achieve, and he recognized greatness in him, which gave him motivation and strength: Our works on Earth are nothing but imprints of the wings of our soul, which, although not immortal, are imprints of an immortal being. … Although no work is eternal, it should at least be a shadow of eternity.
I have a feeling that my most beautiful sculptures will remain undiscovered in the hills on the cliffs – at least not by me – and that eagles will rest on them, observe, and measure the height through which the sunlight penetrates. What they give life and call to themselves; and I come from the upper layers, baked by the sun and gnawed by storms and time, cutting and preparing only models for real characters in big blocks. No excuse for me, because I also had a lever in my hand, just like some long before me who had broken away from the depths.
The head of Moses, Notre Dame.
He was like him: a painter, sculptor, architect, writer, poet, philosopher – a deep and tireless seeker. He believed that being a true artist means conveying metaphysical, philosophical, general, and universal ideas that touch any person, regardless of any differences. He endeavored to sincerely convey what he believed in, what represented an ideal of beauty, humanity, and deep human aspirations for him. He transmitted his ideas through his works, but also through words, as a lighthouse and support. We are also not in favor of setting any limits or restraining the spirit of younger generations in any direction. On the contrary, we want to awaken their will and give them momentum to explore everything that humanity has created. Humanity, but to continue where the best have left off, instead of returning to an immature childhood and masking ignorance with supposed refinement of taste, which is often just an expression and evidence of superficiality and a lack of deeper spiritual culture, by those who supposedly have something to say, and by those who find some content in this trendiness, when in reality it is just a plain deception, a mere bluff. Honesty with oneself, as well as with others, is the axiom of every true art and creative work, and it can only be satisfied by the most perfect way of expression.
Like many other great artists, he did not stop working and teaching, believing that he had only touched a part of what could be achieved. Within him, hope for a better tomorrow always burned, more perfect performances, new achievements, more advanced ideas worthy of man.