When in 1972 Ivan Kozaric, a renowned Croatian sculptor, placed a sculpture of A.G. Matos, our celebrated poet, on the busiest promenade in Zagreb, it was considered avant garde.
The convex-concave aluminum mass showing a relaxed, bohemian figure sitting on a bench, enjoying the view of the city and its people was intended to bring Matos closer to the masses, by making him part of our daily life. The sculptor even left room on the bench for passers-by to take a seat next to the statue.
Matos’s poetry has been a source of inspiration for generations of artists and musicians. His famous sonnet “Utjeha kose” (don’t try to look for a translation which would be “Comfort of hair”), which is one of the best lyrical works ever produced in this country, was reworked into a song many times over decades (see the enclosed track).
Matos died in 1914. The singer of the above tune is now 79, the sculptor is 93, and the statue itself is 43 years old, but it does not end here. New generations are coming that are drawing inspiration from the life and work of one of the country’s greatest lyricists and the works of art he inspired.
I invite you to post photos in black & white of something that says “inspiration” to you. Leave links to your posts in the comment section.
Lost in Translation 
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