Abstract
The introduction to this collective monograph, to which ten local and foreign authors, experts in the fields of art history and history, have contributed, deals with various aspects of the artistic and political life of the Croatian sculptor Ivan Meštrović (1883-1962). It focuses on the context of the development of sculpture during Meštrović's artistic maturation, especially during his studies in Vienna and his time in Paris under the influence of Auguste Rodin.
It also focuses on the political framework of Meštrović's work, which shaped the visual form of the national and state ideology of the former Yugoslavia. Chapters on Meštrović's links to the Czech environment and on Czech reflection on Meštrović's work provide revealing insights.
The authors unanimously point to Meštrović's efforts to express himself through partial national or religious motives to general human themes and universal humanistic values. At the same time, they present Meštrović as a highly successful international artist breaking down the barriers between the supposed centres and peripheries of world art.