SKULPTURE PIONIRSKE DOLINE U SARAJEVU: ESTETSKI ASPEKT MOTIVA MAJKE I DJETETA U JAVNOJ PLASTICI / THE SCULPTURES OF PIONIRSKA DOLINA IN SARAJEVO: THE AESTHETIC ASPECT OF THE MOTHER AND CHILD MOTIF IN PUBLIC SCULPTURE

Abstract

The paper explores the artistic and cultural-historical value of public sculpture installed in Sarajevo’s Pionirska Dolina, with a special focus on four scul­ptural works that have marked this space: “Mother and Child” by Sreten Stojanović, “Mother with Child” by Frano Kršinić, “Little Partisans in the Snow” (authorship most likely attributed to the Belgrade sculptor Milojević), and the contemporary pie­ce “Touch Me” by Pero Jakšić. In addition to stylistic analysis of the sculptures, the paper examines the broader historical context of the emergence and transformation of Pionirska Dolina, which, since the mid-20th century, has transitioned from a zoo into a recreational-educational complex, as well as the existence of the original zoo in Ilidža. The sculptures placed within this park ensemble testify to various stages of development of public sculpture in socialist Yugoslavia, their frequent relocations from original sites, and changes in the understanding of public art’s function. Early examples such as Kršinić’s sculpture evoke the aesthetics of poetic realism, where the motif of a mother and child becomes a metaphor for tenderness, hope, and post-war renewal. Stojanović’s version of the same motif, although damaged and later remo­ved, further confirms the dominance of this iconography in Yugoslav public spaces. The sculptural composition Little Partisans in the Snow offers a perspective on chi­ldren’s collective identity shaped in the spirit of revolutionary memory but presen­ted in a lyrical, introspective tone. Meanwhile, Pero Jakšić’s contemporary sculpture affirms the continuity of the theme of maternal tenderness and protection through a modernized form and a clear symbolic message, now within a post-conflict con­text. Through the analysis of these sculptures and their spatial integration, the paper problematizes the relationship between art, memory, and urban landscape, highli­ghting the importance of preserving and valorizing public sculpture as a significant segment of cultural heritage. Special attention is given to documenting changes, damages, and the disappearance of certain works, further emphasizing the need for systematic protection and professional valorization of sculptures in public spaces.