Other
Madonna del Mare and The Girl with Seagull – Salute to the Sea: Communicative Ambiental Discourse of the Statue Programmes in Opatija (1893–1951–2016)
Melinda Kostelac
Abstract
Madonna del Mare (1893) the work of Hans Rathausky was primarily created as a votive tomb statue due to the tragic event (drowning of fhe family Kesselstadt members), placed within natural ambiental signals in the newborn touristic centre Abbazia (Opatija) of the Austrian monarchy. Soon Madonna was recognised as the public attraction untill it was thrown down by the seastorm (1951). Once relocated, the statue lost it’s essential and complex scultpural concept since the author implied allegorical message of the southwest (scirocco) wind inscribed within the statue which gave additional acoustic and ambiental impulse to another wind allegory represented within the nearby fountain monument Helios and Selena (1889) made by the same author. The later relocation (1952 – 1998) and the restoration in 50ies made further damage to the original statue interpretation. The replica with golden coating which stands in front of St. Jacobs church from 2005. does not give former public signals of the originally elaborated programme. At 1956. another statue program replaced Madonna at her location – the Girl with Seagull – Salute to the Sea (1952), today’s most famous symbol of Opatija. But not even few know that author Car also implied the sculpture’s bow to the strength of the nature which caused great loss at 1951. Therefore the allegorical reflection of the sea, winds, belief and the social impact are inscribed in both statues. It is still up to the relevant cultural strategy that the original Madonna del Mare (today in Croatian Museum of Tourism, Opatija) finds the new relevant location.
Keywords
Madonna del Mare; Djevojka s galebom; Hans Rathausky; Zvonko Car; Opatija; scultpure; communicative discurs; history; emblematic; restitution
Hrčak ID:
331091
URI
Publication date:
12.12.2021.
Visits: 309 *