Review article
The Dream of Death
Branko Metzger-Šober
orcid.org/0000-0002-0637-413X
Abstract
A lot has been written about Ivan Rendić's art and artistic opus. Upon seeing his large and wide artistic spectrum one cannot overlook the fact that over a half of his opus has been placed in cemeteries. These sculptures are of all forms, from mausoleums, crypts, stellae, to independent sculptures. Among these there is the sculpture that has been most reproduced, this because for a long time it was considered to be one of the most beautiful. Named The Dream of Death, and showing the body of a sleeping Vestal, the tomb monument The Sleeping Vestal, has become one of the Rendić's most produced tomb monuments. Our art history knows of no other example of multiplication of a piece of art in so many copies during the author's life. With this work of his, placed in the cemeteries of Orebić, Trieste, Opatija, Drniš, Solin and Rijeka, Rendić has found his way to immortality in the memory of the art pieces created to the memory of others. Today the six Sleeping Vestals live their quiet time of extinguished floating lights, among the cemetery visitors unaware of their greatness and meaning. Every reminding of this and other Rendić's works, in any form of activity, will contribute to opposing the time and encouraging the memory of the great artist and his work. By inheriting his work we take him away from oblivion and let him to new questions and valuations that will put him to the place he does deserve by his artistic creation.
Keywords
Ivan Rendić; The Sleeping Vestal; cemetery; tomb monument; sculpture
Hrčak ID:
227018
URI
Publication date:
30.10.2019.
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