Robert Frangeš-Mihanović
Digger, 1906
bronze casting
247 x 192 mm
MG-585

Robert Frangeš–Mihanović (Srijemska Mitrovica, 1872 – Zagreb, 1940) was a pioneering sculptor whose free and innovative approach anticipated the Impressionist and Symbolist currents of modern art at the turn of the century. His mastery of technique, keen sensitivity to materials, particularly bronze, and painterly treatment of relief established him among the foremost European artists of his time. He achieved international recognition for his plaques and medals.
Frangeš’s medals and plaques featuring animal and figurative motifs (Bull and Stallion, 1895; Winegrowers, 1900) heralded the advent of modern Croatian medallic art. The young artist was influenced by the leading figures of French Art Nouveau medal-making, Jules-Clément Chaplain and Oscar Roty, who advanced the medium by reintroducing the Renaissance plaque form and enhancing its allegorical content, thereby further establishing the medal as a legitimate work of art.
Frangeš–Mihanović’s Digger (1906) belongs to the artist’s series of figurative plaques. The relief shows a digger in the foreground, occupying the right side of the composition. His profile faces the observer as he gazes into the distance. With one hand outstretched, scattering seeds into fertile soil, the figure is set against a background illuminated by rays of sunlight. The Digger incorporates metaphorical elements that evoke the concept of a new beginning.

Text: Lovre Mrduljaš © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb
Photo: Goran Vranić © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb