Zagreb, (IKA) – The sculptor and painter Ante Starčević died unexpectedly on November 2 at the age of 74 and was buried on November 6 at the Mirogoj cemetery in Zagreb.
Ante Starčević was born in Zagreb in 1933. In 1957, he completed studies in sculpture under Frano Kršinić at the Academy of Fine Arts of Zagreb. “Together with Ivo Dulčić, Zlatko Šulentić, Bruno Bulić and the somewhat younger Josip Botteri Dini, Starčević was one of the few artists who devoted himself completely to sacred art,” states the introduction to the monograph on Ante Starčević prepared by Dr. Hrvojka Mihanović Salopek, which was published this year by Kršćanska sadašnjost and contains a selection of the artist’s memoirs, essays and poetry. Starčević’s major sacred works include the bronze figure of the Blessed Ozana of Kotor in the Dominican Monastery in Dubrovnik, the relief doorframe of the baptistry of the Šibenik cathedral, the relief of the Blessed Augustin Kažotić in Trogir, a sculpture entitled The Baptism of the Croats in Kočerina near Široki Brijeg, the busts of the priors of Vrana Ivan Paližna and Petar Berislavić in the Zagreb cathedral, the figure of St. Joseph in the church of the same name in Karlovac, the figures of St. Vitus and St. Martin in Pitomača, the figure of the Blessed Ivan Merz fashioned for the Domus Croata in Rome, the VIIIth Station of the Cross at the shrine of Marija Bistrica, and numerous sculptures and reliefs of St. Francis, Our Lady, Christ and the Way of the Cross.
Starčević also produced many mosaics and stained-glass windows for churches, including the life of St. Francis in the stained-glass windows of the Franciscan church in Čapljina, the stained-glass windows in the chapel in Peščenica near Vilnica in Hrvatsko Zagorje, the mosaic of St. Mark of Križevci in the church of the same name in Zagreb, the mosaic of SS. Leopold Mandić and Nikola Tavelić in Široki Brijeg, the mosaic of Don Bosco in the Salesian church in Zagreb, the mosaic of great Croatian figures and rulers in the church of St. Michael in Stražeman, the mosaic of the Holy Family in the church of the same name in Vinjani Gornji, the mosaic of Christ the King in the church of the same name in Rešetari near Nova Gradiška, and the imposing granite mosaic of St. Francis of Assisi on the facade of the church in Kočerin.
The Blessed Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac had a particular impact upon the sculptor’s destiny and orientation. As a young boy, Ante Starčević met Cardinal Stepinac and received a decorated Easter egg from him as a memento. Years later, he recalled the profound grief experienced by his father, Mate Starčević — the former mayor of Zagreb, at the news of the cardinal’s death. It was on this occasion that Ante Starčević painted his first portrait of Cardinal Stepinac. In 1981/82, Starčević created a monumental mosaic for the church of St. Michael in Stražeman with portraits of great figures among the Croats, including Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac. Because of Cardinal Stepinac’s portrait, the pastor Josip Devčić and Ante Starčević were taken to court and the sculptor was out of favor with the ruling circles of the former Yugoslavia for many years. Amidst adversity, in genuine Christian love of the truth, Starčević became even more fervently oriented to religious art. This dramatic period in the artist’s life confirmed the ancient motto of the first Christians: Sanguis martirum, semen christianorum – The blood of the martyrs is the seed of Christians, emphasized Dr. Hrvojka Mihanović-Salopek.