Творчість Івана Мештровича в художній системі ХХ ст. та її вплив на українську скульптуру

Abstract

У статті розглядаються різноманітні аспекти життя і творчості великого хорватського скульптора Івана Мештровича. Також наводяться свідчення впливу його творчості на су- часну українську скульптуру. The work of Ivan Meštrović is sufficiently explored in the world. We summarize the problems of the national identity of the master, his place in the culture of the twentieth century, problems of ideological neutrality of his art and more. However, the problem of perception of the creative achievements of the great Croatian sculptor of the twentieth century by Ukrainian artists will be set for first time. We also turn to other aspects and the presence of his works in the Ukrainian cultural context (his exhibitions in Ukraine, usage of his provisions in theoretical developments). Scientific exploration of Ivan Meštrović’s art can be put in line with the plans of teaching in educational institutions of artistic profile and can be used in the course of the twentieth century fine art. The creative legacy of the famous Croatian sculptor Ivan Meštrović (1883–1962) is certainly one of the brightest pages in the world’s art of the twentieth century. And one of the most controversial at the same time. His life wasn’t idyllic. After several attempts of immigration (at the beginning of World War I, after World War II; received US citizenship eight years before his death), he did not lose connection with native land, finding unconditional acceptance and credibility abroad (proof of this is a monument to American Aboriginal people in Chicago park). In addition, early recognition of Meštrović was unprecedented: at the age of 28, he received a gold medal at the International Exhibition in Rome, which already gave a reason to call him «... a former shepherd with Mikelangelo’s temperament and fruitfulness of Rubens», and three years after his personal exhibition at the Venice Biennale (29 artworks represented) competes with shows of much more venerable Medard Rosso and Antoine Bourdelle. It should be added that early successes was the only starting point of his creative way and gave him further creative freedom. Having avoided the temptations of radical avant-garde (though the early period of his work is influenced by Symbolism and Art Nouveau) – he had chosen the realistic direction. Ivan Meštrović, recognized as the largest Croatian artist of the twentieth century, has devoted his first artwork to another Balkan ethnic group («Bosnian man on the horseback»). His first resonant cycle corresponds to the national history of Serbian people - the Battle of Kosovo – , which featured legendary figures of Prince Marko and Miłosz Obilich. But the hero of one of its major monuments localized in the center of Split, Meštrović had made the founder of the national Croatian literature – Marko Marulić. The student of Auguste Rodin, Meštrović was able to realize a new vision of space, based on active interaction of sculptural object and environment, which consequently perceived as an arena of contracting. His archetypes of Mother and child, Martyr, Rebel, Hero etc have no direct precedent in the prior art, and their originality prevents outright exploitation by followers. The active study of the sculptural surface reveals lessons of Rodin’s impressionism, which he complemented perfectly adding the classical basis. Meštrović, according to J. Tuhenholda, provides «... a return to the original sources of Hallas over Rome and Renaissance «. «His modeling creates a surface, on which light gets stuck ... It seems that there is no force that can carry out the invasion in this space ... « – sums Russian art historian Sapieha I. Ivan Meštrović also made the revision of contemporary sacred sphere. In the chapel of his own estate in Split he performed Adam and Eve as a caryatids, used national type of face which unites him with artists of the Middle Ages. There is a theory that he took his attention to the religious subjects after realizing the terrible consequences of the First World War as a compensatory option of frustration dominated at that time.The author emphasise on overcoming of the pessimistic attitude, the dominant culture in the twentieth century. Thus the title of his memoirs «Despite of everything, I hope» sounds symbolically. The author pays attention not only to the canonical story, but also to almost heretical persons. Actually his sculptural work had began with crucifix performed in age of 14. We should note Ivan Meštrović’s attitude to the sculptural material (which is repeatedly emphasized by Ukrainian artists and as we discuss below). Despite the general statement of indifference Meštrović on this issue («... my works are made of wood and stone, and their content is made not of wood and stone, they are out of space and time»), a detailed study of his artworks suggests a conceptual differentiation on each creative options, and fault-finding in the selection is the variety of material (walnut for reliefs, marble from Bach island for some women sculptures, etc.). Thus, revival of authors hand in the late 1920s Croatian researcher Zhylko Groom associates with the material factor «... again the excitement breaks the bronze in the women convulsions», which precedes the temporary neglect of wood. It is no accident that he was interested and marble «... in part to its ability to pass through itself light beams» and bronze, which «... perfectly features highlights of elastic modeling,» says Tupitsyn I.. Even purely technical acquisitions of Meštrović are unprecedented in their own, such as «Pieta», made of 5.5 tons block of Karrara marble, which is a record since the days of Michelangelo. In general, in his work, he rose from the stage of natural development material (in his younger years immediately cut stones without any «applying points») to philosophic-weighted thinking process in the form of structural triad program in which prominent place belonged to logical, not passive-technical aspects. Direct acquaintance with the works of Ivan Meštrović by Ukrainian artists had started quite late (none of his works wasn’t represented in museum collections of Soviet Union). From 17 to 26 September 1980 some of his sculptural works including famous «Kosovo cycle», along with the works of two of his colleagues (56 works), was shown in the Central exhibition hall in Kyiv within the Days of Croatian culture in the USSR as visual confirmation of «multifaceted cultural relations of the socialist countries». Personal exhibition which comprised examples of his graphic works (64 sculptures and 22 drawings) was held in 1989 at the State Russian Museum in Leningrad and was accompanied by a carefully issued catalogue, the works were taken from the five museums and galleries of Yugoslavia. Ukrainian artists were able to visit both exhibitions. According to the memoirs of Ukrainian sculptor Oleksii Chubarev (teacher of Children’s art school named by T. Shevchenko), Honoured Artist of Ukraine, Rector of Kyiv State Art Institute (1985–88) Valentyn Borysenko repeatedly advised his student: «If you want to learn how to summarize form in sculpture, you should study Meštrović‘s artworks». Yuri Kiselev (National Artist of Ukraine, assistant professor of sculpture of National Akademy of Fine Arts and Architecture), calling Meštrović «one of the pillars of the world sculpture» said about his «one hundred percent awareness». «The form of his reliefs perfectly corresponds with the materials he uses, fully opens the power of material,» – says Ukrainian sculptor, Alex Redko. Experience the great Croatian master had entered the pages of the new Ukrainian textbooks - in one of which on the example of his «Pieta» (1946) shows solution of the problem of the original composite design, in which Christ’s head rests in «pyramidal niche of sorrow» and truncated pyramid is «corporeal basis of human sinfulness». In conclusion we can say that the life and career of the great Croatian sculptor of the twentieth century for Ukrainian artists is one of the signs that «brings together artists of different generations (and continents, including the phenomenon of domestic diaspora); standard of artistic rigor and a clear example of harmonious sculptural creativity in solving problems of harmony. Our research does not exhaust the basiсal creative issues of Ivan Meštrović, only slighly touching some of them. Further study of his works belongs to future researchers who will focus on the analysis of individual works or Meštrović or his creative periods. It is important to emphasize that by now there is no authoritative monograph in Ukrainian entirely dedicated to the great Croatian sculptor of the twentieth century. So in research in this direction seems urgent.