Professional paper
https://doi.org/10.17018/portal.2014.17
Protective Treatments on Edo Murtić’s Wall Mosaics from the Memorial Ossuary in Čazma
Toni Šaina
orcid.org/0000-0003-3521-3332
; Croatian Conservation Institute, Department for Wall Paintings and Mosaics, Zagreb, Croatia
Edita Šurina
; Croatian Conservation Institute, Section for Immovable Heritage Documentation, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
On a hill plateau in the very centre of Čazma, inside the historical Gradina (fort), there is a monument to fallen soldiers of the WWII National Liberation Movement from the Moslavina region. It is composed of a ossuary which is partially dug into the ground, and topped by a cuboid whose planes are nowadays covered in mosaics. The monument was erected in 1956, designed by architect Fedor Wenzler. It was conceived as a simple geometric body with pronouncedly horizontal composition. Made up of a ossuary partially dug into the ground, it is accessed through pathways and stairs on two sides. Above the ossuary stands a flat-roofed cuboid. On three of the four planes of the cuboid, deep reliefs depicting wartime atrocities were carved by sculptor Belizar Bahorić. Only 15 years into the monument’s construction, its condition became so poor, that in 1970 it was redesigned by painter Edo Murtić and, again, Belizar Bahorić. In place of the earlier reliefs, as well as on the fourth plane of the cuboid, Murtić executed symbolic figurative-expressionist mosaics. Against the neutral gray and black backgrounds, he executed, in vivid colours, geometric shapes and parts of animal and human skeletons. Bahorić carved five bronze abstract reliefs and bronze plates with names of the victims applied to the wall of the ossuary.
Due to poor maintenance and bad execution, i.e. the use of improper binder, atmospheric influences and the natural ageing of material, but also due to deliberate human vandalism, this exquisite piece of art has suffered degradation and considerable damage to the mosaics. The necessary renovation and complex conservation procedure was carried out by the Croatian Conservation Institute between 2010 and 2012. The conservation research revealed in detail the condition of the monument, the types of injuries and the technology applied. The mosaics were made after Murtić’s life-size sketches, and were divided into smaller portions to trace the form of the sketch. This was a way to later facilitate the mounting of mosaic onto the wall. The mosaic tiles were inversely glued to a paper, later to be mounted in parts on an earlier prepared wall surface. It was determined that the tiles used for the mosaic combined those from industrial glass (33 hues), glass paste (14 hues), gress ceramics and golden tiles, which were glued and grouted with cement. A considerable portion of the tiles was cracked, had fallen off and was partially crushed, but also damaged with graffiti. A detailed documentation of the injuries was drawn up, and preparations were made for the reconstruction of the mosaic. The construction improvement of the monument was followed by conservation work, which encompassed the removal of graffiti and crusts from the mosaic, the mechanical cleaning of damaged tiles and old plaster, as well as the reconstruction of missing parts of the mosaic. Once the mosaic was glued, all wall surfaces were grouted and finally protected with anti-graffiti coating.
The conservation of the memorial ossuary in Čazma does not end with the treatments themselves. Rather, it goes on through active engagement and participation of the local community in the maintenance of this monument. All the more so, as it was executed in a specific technique from tiny glass, ceramic or stone tiles, and situated in an open space, which makes it susceptible to atmospheric influences and available to intentional injuries that speed up its “aging”.
Keywords
Čazma; memorial ossuary; Edo Murtić; wall mosaic; conservation; construction improvement of monuments; glass paste; mechanical cleaning; reconstruction
Hrčak ID:
133060
URI
Publication date:
22.12.2014.
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