The Strength in His Mother: A Rhetorical Analysis of Ivan Mestrovics My Mother

Emily Gasta October 3, 2012

While exploring the Snite Museum of Art, I was suddenly startled by a sculpture positioned directly at the top of a flight of stairs. The human depicted was so striking and realistic looking that I jumped, initially thinking it was a real person. The statue struck me so profoundly that I could not help but stop and take a closer look. While peering into the gently carved face, I was slightly frightened that the closed eyes would blink open at any moment. The figure was a statue of an older woman on her knees. A large white block lifted the womans face to exactly my eye level, which pulled my interest in even more. This sculpture was created by the famous Ivan Mestrovic and is called My Mother. After spending some time with the sculpture of this mother, I came to the conclusion that she was a strong woman, depicted genuinely by her son. Written on a small plaque to the left of the sculpture is, My Mother (1921); Ivan Mestrovic; American, Born Croatia, 1883-1962; marble. This small amount of information helps the observer understand the image and its purpose. The title of the sculpture, My Mother helps the reader assume that the woman depicted by the sculpture is none other than the mother of Ivan Mestrovic. Because Mestrovic was born in Croatia, one could safely believe the mother and subject is also Croatian. The year 1921 is significant because it was an era of change for women. An elderly Croatian woman was unlikely to be depicted as having strength during the 1920s. However, Mestrovic disregarded this social norm and presented his mother in a realistic and

positive light, showing everything brilliant and true about her. His purpose was to depict the honest strength in his mother. The statue is strategically positioned to capture the viewers attention. It is separate from all other works of art at the museum. Behind the statue is a plain blue wall that does not draw the eye. Multiple lights shine directly on the statue, illuminating it for the viewers to clearly see. The small plaque to the left of the statue is small enough to not take the attention away from the actual work. The lack of distractions around the statue causes the viewers to focus on the figure, which illustrates the importance of the statue and calls attention to the mother. The mother is sculpted from a clean white marble. The choice of marble for the material used to sculpt the subject portrays a great deal of strength in the piece. In history, marble was used by the rich and important. Only the most significant buildings and structures housed large amounts of marble and only the highest esteemed individuals were crafted as statues of marble. Marble holds with it a symbol of power. Therefore, the mother is given an impression of power. Marble itself is a strong and solid material; heavy and dense. Yet at the same time, can be beautiful to look at and smooth to the touch. The material of marble has a texture of beauty and strength, giving the subject the same characteristics. In addition, the white portrays a sense of purity and beauty. The choice of white marble for a material argues that the mother is pure, powerful and beautiful. In the life size statue, the mother of Ivan Mestrovi is on her knees. She is carved as sitting on the back of her feet with her spine straight, her shoulders back and her head facing straight forward. Although she is sitting with a formal posture, she does not seem

uncomfortable. The mother seems physically content and relaxed due to the curved angles of her shoulders and smoothness of her clothing. The mother is sitting in a very dignified way, giving her a dignified presence. Although the mother is on her knees, she gives no sign of bowing down or submitting; she still sits up straight. Rather than submission, she gives off an attitude of humbleness. The lack in weakness in her posture gives her strength in her body and her lack of submission gives her strength in her actions. When it comes to the actual carving, the lack of detail in the clothing keeps the viewers eyes focused on the face and hands of the mother. The subjects clothing is kept simple, with only ripples and folds carved out. The clothing is neither lavish nor revealing, showing no skin other than the face and hands, depicting the mother as a simple and modest woman. One piece of fabric is wrapped around her head and neck; a more traditional piece of clothing that suggests the mother feels strongly about tradition. The folds in the scarf become closer and closer together around the head, pulling the observers attention to her face. Her face is full of intensity, with muscles and wrinkles carved deeply into her cheeks and forehead. The mothers eyes are closed tightly; her eyebrows downward turned and prominent. The muscles around her mouth are tight and her lips are pursed. Her embracement of tradition and simplicity show personal discipline and the definition of her muscles in her face illustrates her physical strength. Although the muscles in her face are highly defined, the mother does not look angry. Instead, she looks focused, determined and patient. A viewer looking directly at the mothers face can feel her intensity. The expression portrays the mother as being

serious, calm, focused and powerful. She shows no sign of worry or weakness. Rather than being helpless, the mother can help herself, giving her a sense of dignity. Other than the face, the hands are the only other aspects of the statue that are carved in great detail. The hands are positioned together on her lap, the fingers interlaced. Each finger is positioned between two others of the opposite hand, creating the strongest of holds. The hands appear to be clenched as shown by the protruding veins in her hands. There is force and power in her hold, showing the might within herself. The position of her hands suggests that the mother is praying. The closed eyes show that she is completely consumed in thought and successfully separating herself from the world around her. This disconnection with external stimuli and complete focus on internal thought depicts her mental strength. The emphasis on thought and reflection in the statue stresses the level of intelligence and maturity in the mother. The intensity in her face and hands show that she is deep in both thought and prayer, which outlines her mental strength. After spending some time with the statue, I felt I like understood the personality of the mother. I could tell the mother was serious, lived simply and embraced tradition. I could see she was very religious and was exceptionally focused when praying. Finally It was clear to me that she was physically strong. These traits came together and formed in my mind a strong and dignified woman. As evident by my initial reaction, the mother seemed so real; I could assume that Mestrovic depicted his mother as exactly as she was. It is this realness that leads me to believe that he was being sincere in his representation; that she really was a strong woman. It struck me that Mestrovic portrayed his mother in such a light. In a time when women were just starting to gain more rights, he portrayed

his traditional mother as strong. Regardless of the times, he successfully depicted a woman with honest strength; his mother.