Sivi soko na levoj ruci Pobednika govori o budnosti, on pazi da se neprijatelj ponovo ne pojavi, dok mač u desnoj ruci simbolizuje novu pobedu
The grey hawk on the Victor’s left hand speaks of vigilance, with him making sure that the enemy does not reappear, while the sword in his right hand symbolises a new victory
FROM MY PERSPECTIVE ZORAN KUZMANOVIĆ, SCULPTOR The Victor breaks up the Belgrade sky There are many reasons why the Victor monument is so important. Apart from the indisputable artistic mastery of Ivan Meštrović and the reason why it was ordered - as a symbol of freedom after centuries of slavery - the crucial moment was its positioning on a high pillar in Kalemegdan Fortress. H ad the sculpture been placed on Terazi- je, as was originally planned, it perhaps wouldn‘t have been so impressive. It would be located between tall buildings, compet- itive forms of urban ambience. Howev- er, its placement in Kalemegdan Fortress, on the hori- zon between earth and sky, with the very way in which it was placed, and which emphasises it verticality, en- sured that it simply breaks apart the sky in that position, acting like antigravity. e fact that we view it from a great distance, and particularly due to the way in which Meštrović stylised the very form of the sculpture, en- sured that it simply became a symbol and a recognisa- ble sign of Belgrade. e works undertaken at the end of last year and the beginning of this year on the surface forms of the sculpture are related exclusively to the long- term preservation of the monument. ere were absolutely no interventions on the form of the sculpture itself, except in places that had sustained mechanical damage. e responsibility was cer- tainly great, even though I have more than 20 years of experience working with bronze and am very familiar with the related technological pro- cesses. e job was certainly a great challenge, but at no point did I fear that I wouldn‘t be able to do it, because in my own artistic work I mostly use bronze, which is a traditional material. Bronze has been recognised since the very beginning as a ma- terial that‘s used for both secular and sacral pur- poses. In art it is the most commonly used ma- terial in figurative sculpture, in representations of the human body. ere were several parallel jobs to do on the Victor sculpture, with the primary one being solv- ing statics. We estimated that the monument is statically risky and that it could even collapse if hit by a stronger wind. e sculpture is four metres and 20 cen-
Ko je Zoran Kuzmanović Jedan je od najznačajnijih vajara u bronzi. Rođen je 1967. u Smederevu. Diplomirao je na FLU u Beogra- du 1993, a završio je magistarske studije 2002. Osni- vač je i rukovodilac Radionice za skulpturu Kuzman , koja postoji od 2003, a umetnički saradnik na FLU u Beogradu bio je od 2010. do 2015. godine. Doktori- rao je na Umetničkim studijama Univerziteta umetno- sti u Beogradu 2014. Njegove skulpture i vajarski ra- dovi nalaze se u mnogim gradovima regiona. Osim Pobednika na Kalemegdanu, obnovio je skulpture Že- telica u Topčiderskom parku, Dečak sa krčagom na Čukur-česmi, spomenik Sloboda na Iriškom vencu, Spomenik zahvalnosti Francuskoj na Kalemegdanu i mnoge druge. WHO IS ZORAN KUZMANOVIĆ One of the most important sculptors working in bronze, he was born in Smederevo in 1967. He graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade in 1993 and completed his master‘s studies in 2002. He is the founder and, since 2003, the head of the “Kuzman Sculpture Workshop”, while he was also an artistic associate at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade from 2010 to 2015. He received his Ph.D. from the Art Studies of the University of Arts in Belgrade in 2014. His sculptures and sculpture works can be found in many cities of the region. Apart from the Victor monument in Kalemegdan, he also renewed the Reaper sculpture in Topčider Park, The Boy with a Pitcher on the Čukur fountain, the Freedom monument on Irig Wreath, Kalemegdan‘s Gratitude to France monument and many others.
Pobednik u ateljeu Zorana Kuzmaovića The Victor in Zoran Kuzmanovic’s studio
Belgrade » Beograd | 25
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