From Chicago to a small village in Dalmatia and the story of two bronze statues

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How is Chicago connected to a small an village in the hinterland of the Dalmatian coast you ask? Well, these two places are interlinked by one man and two bronze statues of native American horsemen. The man is Ivan Meštrović an artist and sculpturer from Croatia. The statues are called The Bowman and The Spearman and are standing on Congress Plaza in Chicago.

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The bow man statue Source

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Who was Ivan Meštrović

a very extraordinary man they say and well, he was and is one of Americas and Croatia's most famous artist of the 20th century.

But who was he? where did he come from? and how did he end up in the US? These are the actual questions moving around in my mind. The idea to write a post about Ivan Meštrović and his opus came to me as I was looking on one of his statues of in my hometown of Šibenik.

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BW photograph Ivan Meštrović Source

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Meštrović had an interesting life, being an artist and living at a pretty turbulent time in Europe which had an influence on his work and also was one reason he ended up in the US. His family comes from a small village in the Dalmatian hinterland called Otavice close to the town of Drniš. Ivans parents were peasants and sheepherders, as you can imagine not a glamorous and wealthy upbringing. He was actually born on a train station in Vrpolje, Slavonia in 1883. his family being poor, regularly went north to continental Croatia to work the fields during the summer harvest. He grew up in a religious roman catholic family during the period of the Austro Hungarian empire, which had a huge impact on his later work.

At age sixteen Meštrovićs life began to change rapidly, during his childhood teachers noticed his artistic nature. His family could not afford to send him to school and university education was out of the question. But luck would be on his side, he started his apprenticeship as a stone mason at one of Splits most famous master Pavao Bilinić. The Dalmatian coast is rich in stone with a long tradition of stone carving. In Dalmatia were a lot of stonemasonry workshops and opportunities to find work. He was lucky because of Mr. Bilinić was well known be architects not just in his homeland but in other parts of the Austrian empire.

With the help of his teacher Bilinićs wife and a wealthy coal mine owner from Austria who paid for Meštrović education, he was accepted to the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. In Vienna, he needed to learn German fast and quickly but he studied under the finest artist of that time in Europe.

In 1904. he married his first wife Ruža Klein and during 1905. he had his first exhibition with the Art Nouveau Secession Group in Vienna. The Vienna Secession group was formed in 1897. and was on the of Europes most influential art groups made of painters, sculptors, and architects among the members of the group were Gustav Klimt and others. So you can imagine a very big deal for Meštrović as the exhibition was also a big success. After that, his career took off and he and his wife moved to various European cities like Paris, Belgrad, and Rome. He attended the Rome International Exhibition in 1911. winning the grand prix or first prize for his work. This gave him international fame and glory, critics described his style as new, different and more progressive than that of his peers.

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The Yugoslavia committee in London Source

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During his time in Belgrade, he got politically involved in the idea of autonomy from the Austrian empire. And was even part of the Yugoslavia committee. This committee was made of Croatian exiled politicians and artist who fought for the independence from Austria. He dreamed of an independent state of the south Slavic people. His views were not welcomed by the Austro-Hungarian authorities during the outbreak of WWI. At this time he was prevented from moving back to Croatia he and his wife were threatened to be killed if they move back. After which he went to London where the headquarters of the Yugoslav committee was situated. During his time there he was one of the first Croatian artists who exhibited at the Victora and Albert Museum. One of the world largest of design and art.

As WWI was over he moved back to Croatia where he settled in Zagreb and married his second wife Olga Kesterčanek with whom he had four children. During his time in Zagreb, he became a professor at the fine arts Academy in Zagreb. Where he became friends with scientist Nikola Tesla and continued to travel the World. In 1924. he came to the United States with exhibitions in Brooklyn, Chicago.

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Video of work on The Spearman and The Bowman Source

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Meštrović spent his time in Croatia between the cities Zagreb and Split where he owned houses. At the time WWII started and the rise of the fascist Ustasha regime in Croatia he and others with similar beliefs of a united Yugoslav state him were again under attack from the authorities. Due to his views, he and others were arrested in the capital Zagreb in 1941. he himself remained in prison for three and a half months. He was released under the condition to attend the Venice Biennale, as for propaganda purposes for the fascist regime. Once there with help from Croatian archbishop Stepinac and the Vatican, he managed to settle in Rome with no prosecution from the regime back home. From there he flew to Switzerland with his family and later immigrated to the United States. After WWII and the devastation, it took on Meštrović and his family he never wanted to move back to his homeland. Even refused the personal invitation of Yugoslavia's communist president Josip Broz Tito to move back to Croatia.

His decision to move to the United state came in 194. as he was offered and accepted a teaching position at Syracuse University in New York. One year after he moved to the US he became the first Croatian artists to exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. During his time here he worked on most of his pieces a few of them can even be seen at Syracuse. In 1954. he was granted Us citizenship, the ceremony was held by US president Dwight Eisenhower a year later he was offered a teaching position at Notre Dame University which he accepted and moved to Indiana.
He visited his homeland only once in 1959. to campaign for the release of Archbishop Stepinac and meet with president Tito himself. Meštrović died in 1962. in South Bend, Indiana at the age of 79, his last wishes were to be buried in the family mausoleum in Otavice near Drniš.

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Meštrović family mausoleum in Otavice Source

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The statues of the Equestrian Indians or The Spearman and the Bowman are two bronze likeness of Indians which stand at Grant Park in Chicago Illinois, USA. The Indians were made by Ivan Meštrović in Zagreb Croatia during 1928. Both statues ate about 6 meters tall and were placed on a large stone pedestal.

The statues are considered as the best work Meštrović did by many art historians in Croatia and the US.

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If you liked this one check out my post on Dalmatia or about the Croatia Kuna. If you have any questions please let me know in the comments below.

If you are interested in the works of Ivan Meštrović please check this link out or this one .