Bronze model of Šibenik Old Town unveiled

(Photo: Grad Šibenik)

A model by academic painter and graphic artist Zvonimir Vila made of patinated bronze called “Šibenik stina” was unveiled this week in Šibenik, Grad Šibenik reported.

The sculpture of the Old Town of Šibenik, which is 4 meters long, a meter and a half wide and half a meter high, is located front of the Šibenik City Administration building. 

Worth 450 thousand kuna, the sculpture was commissioned and financed by the Tourist Board of the City of Šibenik through the European project “Tourism For all”. 

“The author made a sculpture from a model, similar to the ones that other cities have, which breaths life and artistic value and is a tourist attraction,” said Dino Karađole, director of the Tourist Board, at the ceremony.

“The image of Šibenik is different from any other Dalmatian city. Zadar, Split and Trogir are flat, while Šibenik is a city of incredible topography and organicity. If it was machine-made, we would get a good informative picture. This way we have a real work of art that does not seek accuracy per se. This is a personal image of the city, but which in spirit coincides with what we all think,” said Josip Belamarić, a scientific advisor at the Institute of Art History in Split.

The artist himself was especially emotional at the unveiling ceremony of “Šibenik stina”, confiding in the audience that he could hardly wait for that day. He said that the sculpture was a great challenge for him, and it was dedicated to Nikolina.

“When I no longer had the strength towards the end, the key support was given to me by Mayor Željko Burić. He literally told me that I had to persevere and that his support was unquestionable. The next day I was like new and I finished the work,” said Zvonimir Vila with a lot of emotion, thanking Dino Karađola for his love for the city, Ante Cicvarić who gave him space to work on the sculpture and his colleague Ante Jurkić who, as he said, did the casting.

(Photo: Grad Šibenik)

The Mayor of Šibenik, Željko Burić, on the other hand, did not hide his satisfaction that Šibenik was given a work in which a lot of effort, emotions and so much will were invested.

“We don’t have to be too knowledgeable about architecture and sculpture to see that it is a work of art in which every citizen of Šibenik can recognise their street, the house in which they were born or in which they live. That means the artist succeeded. He did it with so much emotion and so much will that any other decision – apart from supporting him – would not be human and would not be moral – the mayor concluded, congratulating Villa.