Rudolf Valdec
(1872 – 1929)
Portrait of Vatroslav Jagić, 1923
casting, bronze
39 x 29 x 22 cm
MG-625

After having received academic education in Vienna (1890, 1894- 1895) and Munich (1891 -1894), the sculptor and medallist Rudolf Valdec became an accomplished artist and educator in Zagreb. With Robert Frangeš – Mihanović, he was the pioneer of modern sculpture in Croatia and modernist tendencies in the spirit of Secession in Croatian visual arts in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Valdec’s public monuments in the form of allegorical figural representations and busts on buildings in Zagreb’s Lower Town, Zrinjevac Park and the Mirogoj Cemetery are an integral part of modern identity of the City of Zagreb.
Rudolf Valdec was an exquisite modern portraitist. The artist added expressive individuality to realistic form, interwoven with Art Nouveau stylization, and connected character with appropriate artistic solutions.
The portrait bust of the Croatian linguist Vatroslav Jagić (1838 – 1923) sits on a thin plinth. The semi-profile view reveals the hollowness of the obliquely cut bust. The physiognomic details are adequately descriptive: the frontal view reveals a closed, full and robust head volume, a serious, wide face, accentuated earlobes sticking out from the head, hair parted in a straight line, thick eyebrows, strong nose, bushy moustache, pressed lips, and wide chin. A ribbon tied in a bow can be seen around the neck, and the coat’s lapel is oval. Art Nouveau decorativeness and stylisation in the treatment of the hair dovetail with the smooth modelling of playful facial surfaces. Art Nouveau melodiousness is present in the agitated surface and treatment of details.

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