Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Self-Guided Tour: Eachworkislabeled,butthere'sverylittledescriptionotherwise
(and the 80-kn guidebook is overkill for most visitors). This tour will help you navigate
the highlights. Before you begin, read the sidebar (see here ) for background on Meštrovi ć 's
life; while the collection is presented thematically rather than chronologically, knowing the
artist's journey helps to make sense of what you'll see.
After buying your ticket (and confirming the time for your return bus to the Old
Town—likely at :10 past the hour), climb the stairs toward Meštrovi ć 's house, pausing in
the garden to admire a smattering of sculptures. On the right, see Persephone reaching sky-
ward for freedom—an idea that came to Meštrovi ć while he was imprisoned by the Ustaše
inWorldWarII.Beyondher,you'llseeCyclopsstrugglingtohurlagiantshotput—inkeep-
ing with Meštrovi ć 's theme of the struggles of great men. Tucked behind the trees nearby is
an eagle, which was a study for a mountaintop monument honoring one great man in partic-
ular, the Montenegrin King Petar II Petrovi ć -Njegoš (see here ) . To the left as you face the
building is a statue of a woman playing a lute, and reliefs of women playing a lute and harp
flankthedoorofthevilla. Muchasheenjoyeddepicting thetravails ofmen,Meštrovi ć also
often sculpted women serenely engaging in music.
Go up another set of stairs to reach the Entrance Hall. The sculptures here evoke some
of Michelangelo's nudes and were fittingly carved from that great sculptor's favorite medi-
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