Mila Wod
(1988 – 1968)
Girl on a Leaf, c. 1938
casting, bronze
26.5 x 7.5 x 6 cm
MG-6510
Ljudmila Wodsedalek, better known as Mila Wod, was the most accomplished artist among the first generation of female sculptors who graduated from the College of Arts and Crafts in Zagreb in 1911. She occupies a prominent position in the history of Croatian sculpture. Even during her student years, her artworks garnered attention at the annual exhibitions of the Art School. Early in her career, she produced significant works such as reliefs of boys for the University Library in Zagreb (1912). The majority of her pieces exhibited in Vienna in 1914, alongside Nasta Rojc, were successfully sold. Her first exhibitions at Salon Ulrich, her solo debut in 1918, and her joint exhibition with her then-husband, Viktor Bernfest, in 1924 were also widely acclaimed.
Her art predominantly features the human form, encompassing portraits, genre scenes, and symbolic depictions. She made history as the first female creator of a public monument in Croatia. The monument to Stjepan Radić in Petrinja in 1929 is also the first such tribute to the politician. Additionally, she created public and religious monuments, works of applied art, and a substantial number of portraits and genre scenes in both sculpture and relief, using materials such as plaster, terracotta, and bronze.
She mastered artistic expressions and sculpting techniques and materials, carving out a space for her creative work in the interstices of major historical styles. Professor Frangeš imparted subtleties to her craft, while Professor Valdec directed her towards the decorativeness of line and form. During her study period in Paris from 1912 to 1913, she encountered the celebrated French sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840-1917). Among her peers, she held a high regard for the French sculptor Alexandre-Louis-Marie Charpentier (1856-1909), who shared similar artistic ambitions.
Mila Wod worked from the core of her being, propelled by inner energy and impulse. She translated her rich experiences of the external world into her own unique expressions and developed her personal artistic poetics.
Her most prolific period and active involvement in the contemporary art scene occurred in the first half of the twentieth century. Her sculptures from this period are housed in the National Museum of Modern Art.
The bronze statuette “Girl on a Leaf,” created around 1938, is distinguished by its subtle and poetic shaping. The graceful pose is accentuated through refined sculpting techniques and surface treatment. The design delicately complements the motif, presenting the statuette in a simplified form without individualistic features.
Text: Tatijana Gareljić, museum consultant of the National Museum of Modern Art © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb
Translated by: Robertina Tomić
Photo: Goran Vranić © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb