Ostalo
A Monument to Liberation
Dejanira Burmas Domančić
Sažetak
In 1927 a Liberation Monument was ceremonially erected in a prominent place in the Hvar harbour, marking the founding of a new state, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes and the building of the island’s water supply system. The monument was commissioned by the Council, headed by Dr. Avelini, and created by the sculptor Šime Dujmović from Hvar. He trained in Vienna, and prior to this, his biggest commission, he had worked as an assistant to Ivan Meštrović and at the Arts Academy in Zagreb. Six years passed between the first sketch for the monument to its erection, and during this period the project was the subject of controversy and debate, firstly because of its appearance, because many felt that it was prurient and therefore not suitable for display in a public place, and secondly because of a chronic shortage of money and constant delays in the deadline for completion. The monument was situated next to where the Splitska banka is today. It consisted of a stone parapet surrounding a basin on a pedestal of 12 truncated pyramids which culminated in a cornice with floral decorations. A tall flat-topped pyramid rose out of the basin whose four sides were decorated through their length, each bearing an allegorical relief, of education, patience, celebration and hope. The main sculpture was placed on top of the pyramid, a group of figures consisting of the maiden Faria, a personification of Hvar, being kissed by a winged male figure representing the Angel of Freedom, while riding on the dragon ‘Zvir’ which was the figurehead of the Hvar galley which took part in the Battle of Lepanto. The monument contained all the Art Deco features which were the characteristic style of the time, and the influence of Ivan Meštrović was evident. The best part of the work was the main sculpture, the group of figures entitled “Source of New Life”, which demonstrated Dujmović’s talent for shaping stone with lightness and elegance. The monument was dismantled and removed from the Hvar harbour in 1941. The ideological political message which it conveyed was completely unacceptable both to the authorities in the Independent State of Croatia (Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH) and later to the Yugoslav government after World War II, so that the monument was thereafter destined to remain locked in a collective memory which is ever growing dimmer.
Ključne riječi
Hrčak ID:
129876
URI
Datum izdavanja:
26.11.2014.
Posjeta: 1.907 *