The Life and Work of Ante Dabro, Australian-Croatian Sculptor

Book excerpt: Why does a highly skilled and highly trained sculptor, the master of every style and technique, insist on working in the style of the Italian Renaissance? The answer is that to Dabro, every sculpture must speak to humanity, which means that it must be an element of humanity. If it does not, the sculptor has failed. Working with female models throughout his long life, he has sought to portray an essence of femininity, and therefore an essence of humanity. Ante Dabro believes that the ability to see what other people don’t see is a real gift. He says, ‘It’s like a star wheeling round the earth, fertilising the imagination as it goes.’ This book explores the different ways he has liberated an essence of humanity by releasing the soul of a human form from its imprisoning substance, whether it be from wood, marble, stone or plaster. The author, one of Australia’s best known historians and biographers, like Dabro, wants our imaginations to soar and rejoice in the creative spirit which has driven his sculptures for more than 60years.