Job

Until November 5th at the International Culture Center in Krakow you can visit an exhibition about Ivan Meštrović, Croatian sculptor and architect. Here is one of the sculptures you can see there :)

It is rare for a work of art to reach a level of expression similar to that of the figure of Job by Ivan Meštrović. This solitude and isolated figure seems overwhelmed by existential anxiety.

This is a representative work of art for the late period of Meštrović’s sculpture—very dramatic and expressionist. This style allowed him to highlight both the physical and spiritual aspects of pain.

In 1941 Meštrović was accused of supporting the Allies and held for months in a prison in Zagreb, at Savska Street. The sculptor reflected on his experience of that time in Memories on Politics and Events. He did not know the reasons for the arrest, so until his interrogation he was experiencing great fear and insecurity. His life was in danger.

Meštrović identified himself with the Old Testament figure of Job, who was on the verge of his existence, torn apart not only from material goods but also from family and human dignity. Job, as well as many other known and reproduced works, was presented by the artist in his atelier in Rome, and was eventually transferred to his homeland.