Stipe Sikirica
A Young Horse, 1961
cast bronze
136 x 31 x 120 cm
MG-2758

Croatian sculptor Stipe Sikirica (1933) graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, where he studied and later specialized under Vanja Radauš, eventually becoming a professor himself. He is one of the founders and professors of the Academy in Široki Brijeg. Sikirica is known for his elongated, stylized human figures and animalistic motifs, primarily horses. The choice of these themes is closely connected to the artist’s strong sense of his native Sinj region and the ethos of the Alka tradition. Sikirica is the author of numerous public monuments throughout Croatia.
Sikirica’s Young Horse from 1961, captivates with the impression of vitality and the strength of a young animal, shaped with the sculptor’s characteristic elongated, stylized forms, with the reared head and a calm, stable standing posture. The smooth purity and minimalism of the rounded sculptural shapes evoke a vision of horses from the Gothic world, reminiscent of Paolo Uccello’s paintings (1397-1475). The seemingly static and symmetrical composition vibrates with the dynamism of life forces, invoking archaic forms, operating according to universal and archetypal patterns.

Text: Ivana Rončević Elezović, museum consultant of the National Museum of Modern Art © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb, 2023
Translated by: Robertina Tomić
Photo: Goran Vranić © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb, 2023

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