Ivan Meštrović - Sculptor and Citizen of the World
Back to Prague for a little while: this retrospective was one I came across in the @ghmp.cz magazine and initially got excited about Rodin’s sculptures being a part of the exhibit. It ended up being far more than that. Ivan Meštrović was a name I was unfamiliar with prior to a couple weeks ago, as are probably many people. Ivan was a Croatian sculptor who was quite ahead of his time in his way of thinking about art as transcending borders, but fell into oblivion after his death.He strongly encouraged cultural bonds between (especially Slavic and Eastern European) countries and was looking for common dialogues between artists, who he cared deeply for. He had many close relationships with artists around the world, but had a special connection to Prague, where he was regarded quite highly by not only the artistic sphere, but among the public as well.
I don’t go to sculpture exhibitions that often, and it got me thinking about how it became a relatively less popular art form compared to painting or even photography. Looking past the obvious fact that getting into sculpture has a higher threshold than other art forms, thus making it a less saturated field, I think there is more to it. From my perspective, the sculptural art form is shrouded in a tinge of mystery about its purpose and making meaning within it. I’ve always been familiar with painters, how and why they produce their works, and how to uncover the meaning behind them; not so much with sculptors. From the process of sculpting down to its history, I was only ever sure that it is held in high regard and is one of the oldest art forms. For instance, I just found out recently about ancient Greek statues not initially being white and about the racist history behind this fabricated narrative. All this to say, there’s much to discover, especially today, where sculpture is influenced by technology and digital art, we have 3D printing, all of which affects the context of making sculptures. Above is a mixture of my favorite works by Meštrović, Rodin, and Kafka + my personal favorite, a letter from Auguste Rodin addressed to Meštrović. 💌