Let's respect ourselves: Artistic sculpture "ADDIO" installed on Lošinj

 "ADDIO" sculpture - a dedication to the wives of Lošinj sailors

"Goodbye, my beloved!" she said to the wind and waved at the sailing ship that was disappearing on the horizon...

Every ship from Lošinj, when it set sail from the port for a long journey, would dock in one of the most beautiful coves in Lošinj. It is about the Čikat bay near the Annunziata church where the crew would disembark and pray the rosary with their families in the church before parting.

It was created as a symbol of tradition, but also of love and fidelity artistic sculpture "ADDIO". The bronze sculpture, 178 cm high, found its place exactly in the same place where Lošinj's wives used to greet their sailors years ago.

It is dedicated to Marija Stuparić, the wife of Captain Aldebrand Petrina, who waved and greeted him as he sailed into the distance. "Goodbye, my beloved!" she said to the wind and waved a white handkerchief to the sailing ship that was disappearing on the horizon. Then she would return to the little church of the Annunciation of Mary (Annunziata) to pray one more time  pray for his happy return. The initials MS on the handkerchief belong to her, a dear and self-effacing woman, the wife of Velološinj captain Aldebrand Petrina.

During 32 years of married life only spent 13 months together in their home in Lošinj. Sailors' wives had to be strong-minded, persistent and patient and ready for anything. 

"We wanted to pay tribute in an attractive, modern and somewhat abstract way to all the sailors' wives who saw them off and waited for their return. The form of the classic sculpture has been retained, with a skilled silhouette, the performance is more airy and unique. The sculpture is in natural size, on on the back side is a motif that was normally found on the headbands of women from Lošinj, and which can be seen in our permanent display", explained the director Lošinj Museum Zrinka Ettinger Starčić.

Academic sculptor and author of the sculpture, Zvonimira Obad, explained how it is an artistic interpretation of the sculpture. "In fact, it is about the form of a woman in a costume, which is layered and lost in space, and which is "carried away by the wind". The idea comes from the symbol of a tradition that is falling into oblivion, all for the purpose of 'holding on' to the past and restoring the feeling of belonging to the environment. The sculpture "Addio" is a symbol of love and fidelity", author Obad believes.

"If you are a conservator, a person who deals with the preservation of historical heritage, it is important that you know something about that history, so we have to go back long ago. Back in Greek times, the Argonauts, Jason, the Golden Fleece and Medea...back then the sea and distance stood between the love of two people. This statue with the desire to personify presents a story that is brilliantly presented. This is a place of hope, thus an ideal place for it because it represents sadness with the desire to return the one who is leaving.", he said Miljenik Domijan, president of the Croatian Council for Cultural Property, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia.

"In this way, we are helping to preserve another valuable memory of our rich maritime past. Exactly on the model of these past events, the stage presentation of the seamen's send-off "Salute to the captain" was designed, which takes place every September as part of the LOSINAVA festival, an event dedicated to the rich maritime tradition of the island of Lošinj., said the director of the Tourist Board of the City of Mali Lošinj, Dalibor Cvitković.

After the introductory speeches, the professor of the Maritime School in Mali Lošinj, Aldina Stuparich Burić, a native of the Lošinj captain's family and the wife of a sailor herself, symbolically "unveiled" the statue.

Let us respect ourselves, so that others may respect us. 

Photo: Sandro Tariba