Robert Frangeš-Mihanović
(1872 – 1940)
Turkey, 1904.
casting, bronze
31.5 x 19.5 x 25 cm
MG-615
Robert Frangeš-Mihanović was a prominent modern Croatian sculptor, who studied first in Vienna (1889-1895) and then in Paris (1900-1901), where he became friends and socialised with A. Rodin and M. Rosso. He was one of the founders of the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb (1907), and was amongst the first instigators and promoters of artistic life in Zagreb. On account of his best works he is considered a credible interpreter and exponent of topical European artistic currents at the turn of the 20th century.
His artistic development reveals different styles, ranging from Academicism through Symbolism to Modernism, that is, the earliest instances of Impressionism in Croatian sculpture. In his mature work he achieved his own unique style featuring unrestrained realistic modelling of figures.
Frangeš-Mihanović’s mastery of, first and foremost, bronze, is visible in his many sculptures of domestic animals, whether they are depicted as thoroughbred specimens of their species or are part of figural compositions.
The form of Frangeš-Mihanović’s strutting Turkey is dynamic with an uneven relief surface, closed volume and full form. The tips of its spread wings touch the pedestal, and together with the fan-shaped tail, articulate the space as an impressionist outline of open surfaces with rhythmic changes of light and shadow.
Text: Tatijana Gareljić, Museum Counsellor at the National Museum of Modern Art © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb
Translated by: Robertina Tomić © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb