Frano Kršinić
(1897 – 1982)
Young Woman Tending a Rose, 1953 (detalj)
casting, bronze
188 x 55 x 68 cm
MG-2449

After having studied sculpture at the Crafts School in Korčula and at the Sculpture and Stonemasonry School in Hořice in the Czech Republic (1913 – 1917), Kršinić went on to graduate from the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague (1917 – 1921). He was one of the founding members of the Earth Association of Artists and a member of the Independent Collective of Croatian Artists. With his refined sculpture and unconstrained approach to teaching at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, he made significant contributions to the development of contemporary Croatian sculpture.
Using visually reduced elements, calm line, balanced building of mass, and idealisation and spiritualisation of forms, Kršinić succeeded in creatively assimilating the elements of Štursa’s art in the way he conceptualised and composed his motifs, as well as Maillol’s synthesis of form, inspired by the classical and Mediterranean tradition, particularly evident in a series of his female nudes.
The works of Frano Kršinić installed in public space represent examples of sculpture harmoniously blending with its surroundings, such as this standing female nude titled Young Woman Tending a Rose in the park on King Petar Krešimir IV Square in Zagreb, while the joie de vivre that the work radiates now also elevates the lobby of Providur’s Palace in Zadar. With its refined form, taut surfaces and harmonious outlines, the sensual figure of a woman leaning slightly forward balances descriptiveness and stylisation of soft forms.

Text: Tatijana Gareljić, museum consultant of the National Museum of Modern Art © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb
Translated by: Robertina Tomić © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb