GATES OF HELL

Delivery of artwork

All the artworks of Josip Konta come with a certificate of authenticity issued by the artist himself and a certificate of authorship from the Croatian Society of Fine Artists.

The artist provides free shipping of his works to any location worldwide, enabling art lovers to take delivery of his works without any additional costs, thereby saving time.

The sculptures are shipped in wooden crates custom-made for sculptures, which are certified for international shipping, ensuring the safety and protection of the artworks during transit to their new destination.

The weight of the crate is 41 kg, plus a protective filling made of light material.
The total weight of the wooden crate and sculpture is 94,5 kg.

 

This item usually ships within 10 business days.
Delivery Partner: DHL Express

 

The price of the artwork does not include potential customs charges in the destination country. All customs fees are the responsibility of the buyer. It is the buyer's responsibility to fully inform themselves about the possible customs costs of the chosen artwork in the destination country.

His fifty-year-long artistic career, marked by a series of solo and group exhibitions, has produced artworks found in private collections in both Croatia and abroad.

 

 

                                         

Analysis of the sculpture and possible meaning

Gates of Hell, also known as Festival of Alienation, is an impressive work from 1978 that strikingly portrays the complex and dramatic theme of human alienation and social nonconformity. This bronze relief, created using Konta’s signature sculptural technique, explores the deep emotional and psychological agony that people experience, even when surrounded by loved ones.

Konta brings these feelings of alienation and tension to life through dynamic and expressive forms, which simultaneously depict the loss and suffering of the characters through their various emotional states. The artist employs strong contrasts and textures to emphasize the emotional weight of this scene while introducing a disturbing sense of dissonance and instability.

With their carefully coordinated positions and movements, the labyrinth of human figures strikingly creates the illusion of ongoing struggle and internal conflict. Their intertwined bodies depict a tragic game of alienation, where closeness and distance coexist simultaneously. Each character in this work carries a kind of burden – emotional, psychological, and inevitably physical – further emphasizing an inability to adapt to the surrounding world. Konta successfully conveys universal feelings of anxiety and isolation that permeate human existence, underscoring the need for understanding, compassion, and connection.

The Gates of Hell shows that Josip Konta has crafted a powerful visual and emotional narrative that unmistakably points to the complexity of human experience and alienation. This impressive relief not only demonstrates Konta’s artistic virtuosity but also invites viewers to reflect on our roles in creating and overcoming societal alienation.