Paja Jovanovic
Encyclopedia
Pavle "Paja" Jovanović was the most prominent Serbian
Realist painter alongside Uroš Predić
. He is considered one of Serbia
's greatest academic painters. His most famous and recognizable paintings include Serbian Migrations, Crowning of Stefan Dušan, Takovo Uprising
, Cockfighting, Decorating of the Bride, and Fencing. He also painted many famous portraits. His works can be found in many European museums across the continent.
, Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar, Austrian Empire
(today Vojvodina
province, Serbia
), into the family of a photographer Stevan Jovanović and Ernestina, née Deot. He spent his childhood and early youth in this town, where he had the opportunity to see the iconostasis
of Pavel Đurković and Arsa Teodorović in the town churches. He received his first lectures and knowledge from his teacher of painting, Vodecki. His father took him to Vienna
in 1875 when he was 15, where he enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts in 1877 in the class of the professor Christian Griepenkerl
. He finished the Academy of Fine Arts in 1880, attending several important courses taught by Leopold Carl Müller
, known as an “orientalist”. In the following period, having noticed greater interest of Europe for the Balkans
, he painted mostly scenes from the life of the Albanians
, Montenegrins, Herzegovinians, which brought him great reputation. Encouraged to visit the Balkan region during his hiatus, he studied the customs and folklore of the people, and in 1882 he was awarded the prize of the Academy and was given the czar scholarship for the composition The Wounded Montenegrin.
The public and many art critics directed their attention to the young painter, and in 1883 he signed a contract with the London gallery simply named “French”. He continued his travelling through Caucasus
, Morocco
, Egypt
, Greece
, Turkey
, Italy
, and Spain
. A great number of sketches, notes, and studies, along with the collected objects from the life of the common people, will find their place in his famous genre-compositions, such as: Fencing
, Decorating of the Bride, and Cockfighting. Some of Jovanović's most remarkable praises were gathered at two of his greatest exhibitions: Millennium exhibition in Budapest
in 1896, where he prepared Migration of Serbs for entry, but Triptych was sent instead, and the World Exhibition in Paris
in 1900, for which he had painted a great historical composition The Proclamation of Dušan's Law.
As early as in 1893 he was proclaimed for the member of the Serbian Royal Academy. He was given the task to make the monumental, historical compositions. After 1905 he devoted himself exclusively to painting the portraits in the style of academic realism for the rich clientele, and he became very famous thanks to them. Some of the most famous include Portrait of the Painter Simington, Portrait of Mihajlo Pupin, Portrait of the Artist's Wife Muni, Portrait of the Sculptor Đoka Jovanović, and others. He painted the portraits of his longtime model and wife, Muni with special care.
He made the iconostasis in the Dolovo and Saborna churches in Novi Sad
, which was painted without commission. He spent most of his time in his atelier in Vienna where he settled, and occasionally travelled to Belgrade
. In 1940 he was given the title of the honorary citizen of Vršac, and in 1949 he was given the Order zasluga za narod (Merit for People) of the first category. He lived quietly and lonely, after his wife's early death, in Vienna until his own death in 1957. According to his will, the urn with his ashes was to be moved to Belgrade and where “The Legacy of Paja Jovanović” was opened in 1970, as well in Vršac. Later, in the building of the Old Pharmacy on the Stairs, in 1977 the permanent commemorative exhibition of Paja Jovanović was opened. The works of Paja Jovanović have been kept in the Town Museum of Vršac, along with the exceptionally famous Vršac Triptych. Most of his works and personal belongings can be found in the Town Museum of Belgrade.
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
Realist painter alongside Uroš Predić
Uroš Predic
Uroš Predić was one of the greatest Serbian Realist painters, along with Paja Jovanović and Đorđe Krstić...
. He is considered one of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
's greatest academic painters. His most famous and recognizable paintings include Serbian Migrations, Crowning of Stefan Dušan, Takovo Uprising
Takovo Uprising
Takovo Uprising is a painting by Paja Jovanović , one of the greatest Serbian realist painters off all time. It represents the start of the Second Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire in Takovo, 1815...
, Cockfighting, Decorating of the Bride, and Fencing. He also painted many famous portraits. His works can be found in many European museums across the continent.
Biography
Paja Jovanović was born in VršacVršac
Vršac is a town and municipality located in Serbia. In 2002 the town's total population was 36,623, while Vršac municipality had 54,369 inhabitants. Vršac is located in the Banat region, in the Vojvodina province of Serbia. It is part of the South Banat District.-Name:The name Vršac is of Serbian...
, Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar, Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
(today Vojvodina
Vojvodina
Vojvodina, officially called Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province of Serbia. Its capital and largest city is Novi Sad...
province, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
), into the family of a photographer Stevan Jovanović and Ernestina, née Deot. He spent his childhood and early youth in this town, where he had the opportunity to see the iconostasis
Iconostasis
In Eastern Christianity an iconostasis is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. Iconostasis also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere within a church...
of Pavel Đurković and Arsa Teodorović in the town churches. He received his first lectures and knowledge from his teacher of painting, Vodecki. His father took him to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in 1875 when he was 15, where he enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts in 1877 in the class of the professor Christian Griepenkerl
Christian Griepenkerl
Christian Griepenkerl was a German painter and professor at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna.Griepenkerl was born to one of Oldenburg's leading families...
. He finished the Academy of Fine Arts in 1880, attending several important courses taught by Leopold Carl Müller
Leopold Müller (painter)
Leopold Carl Müller was an Austrian genre painter.-Biography:...
, known as an “orientalist”. In the following period, having noticed greater interest of Europe for the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
, he painted mostly scenes from the life of the Albanians
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
, Montenegrins, Herzegovinians, which brought him great reputation. Encouraged to visit the Balkan region during his hiatus, he studied the customs and folklore of the people, and in 1882 he was awarded the prize of the Academy and was given the czar scholarship for the composition The Wounded Montenegrin.
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. A great number of sketches, notes, and studies, along with the collected objects from the life of the common people, will find their place in his famous genre-compositions, such as: Fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
, Decorating of the Bride, and Cockfighting. Some of Jovanović's most remarkable praises were gathered at two of his greatest exhibitions: Millennium exhibition in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
in 1896, where he prepared Migration of Serbs for entry, but Triptych was sent instead, and the World Exhibition in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1900, for which he had painted a great historical composition The Proclamation of Dušan's Law.
As early as in 1893 he was proclaimed for the member of the Serbian Royal Academy. He was given the task to make the monumental, historical compositions. After 1905 he devoted himself exclusively to painting the portraits in the style of academic realism for the rich clientele, and he became very famous thanks to them. Some of the most famous include Portrait of the Painter Simington, Portrait of Mihajlo Pupin, Portrait of the Artist's Wife Muni, Portrait of the Sculptor Đoka Jovanović, and others. He painted the portraits of his longtime model and wife, Muni with special care.
He made the iconostasis in the Dolovo and Saborna churches in Novi Sad
Novi Sad
Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river....
, which was painted without commission. He spent most of his time in his atelier in Vienna where he settled, and occasionally travelled to Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
. In 1940 he was given the title of the honorary citizen of Vršac, and in 1949 he was given the Order zasluga za narod (Merit for People) of the first category. He lived quietly and lonely, after his wife's early death, in Vienna until his own death in 1957. According to his will, the urn with his ashes was to be moved to Belgrade and where “The Legacy of Paja Jovanović” was opened in 1970, as well in Vršac. Later, in the building of the Old Pharmacy on the Stairs, in 1977 the permanent commemorative exhibition of Paja Jovanović was opened. The works of Paja Jovanović have been kept in the Town Museum of Vršac, along with the exceptionally famous Vršac Triptych. Most of his works and personal belongings can be found in the Town Museum of Belgrade.
Partial list of works (in Serbian)
- RANjENI CRNOGORAC (1882.) ulje na platnu, 186×114 cm (u Galeriji Matice srpske u Novom Sadu)
- MAČEVANjE (oko 1884.) ulje na platnu, 60,5×40,5 cm (u Narodnom muzeju u Beogradu)
- MAČEVANjE (oko 1883.) skica, olovka na hartiji, 90,5 x 59 -{cm}- (u Muzeju grada Beograda)
- U ZASEDI (1884 - 1886.) ulje na platnu, 27,5×38 cm (u Galeriji Matice srpske u Novom Sadu)
- ARBANAS (1884 - 1886.) ulje na dasci, 18×24,3 cm (u Galeriji Matice srpske u Novom Sadu)
- ARNAUT S ČIBUKOM (1884 - 1886.) ulje na dasci, 36,5×43,5 cm (u Narodnom muzeju u Beogradu)
- IZDAJICA (1886.) ulje na platnu, 148×100 cm (u Narodnom muzjeu u Beogradu
- KIĆENjE NEVESTE (1886.) ulje na platnu, 135×96,5 cm (u Narodnom muzeju u Beogradu)
- BORBA PETLOVA (1920 - 1926.) ulje na platnu, 95×63 cm, (u Galeriji Matice srpske u Novom Sadu)
- UMIR KRIVI (1889.) ulje na platnu, 137×95 cm (u Galeriji matice srpske u Novom Sadu)
- FUROR TEUTONIKUS(1889.) heliogravura, 81,7 h 62 -{cm}- (u Muzeju grada Beograda)
- SEOBA SRBA 1896.) ulje na platnu, 190×126 cm (u [Narodnom muzeju u Pančevu http://www.muzej-pancevo.org.yu)
- SEOBA SRBA i SEOBA SRBA I(1908; oko 1895.) heliogravura; skica, olovka na hartiji, 94,8 h 62,3 -{cm}-; 119 h 84 -{cm}- (u Muzeju grada Beograda)
- TAKOVSKI USTANAK (1898.) ulje na platnu, 190×125,5 cm (u Narodnom muzeju u Beogradu)
- MANASTIR SOPOĆANI (oko 1898.) ulje na platnu, 71,2×51,8 cm (u Narodnom muzeju u Beogradu)
- PROGLAŠENjE DUŠANOVOG ZAKONIKA http://www.mgb.org.rs/MuzejgradaBeogradaDobrodoslimgborgrs/Pocetna/Stalnepostavke/MuzejPajeJovanovica/tabid/177/language/sr-Cyrl-CS/Default.aspx?udt_630_param_detail=483 (oko 1900.) ulje na platnu 126×190 cm (u Muzeju grada Beograda)
- KRUNISANjE CARA DUŠANA (posle 1900.) ulje na platnu, 238×157 cm (u Narodnom muzeju u Beogradu)
- STEFAN DEČANSKI (oko 1900.) ulje na platnu, 20×41 cm (u Narodnom muzeju u Beogradu)
- RADE NEIMAR PRODAJE MODEL MANASTIRA MANASIJE (oko 1905.) ulje na platnu, 53,3×36,5 cm (u Narodnom muzeju u Beogradu)
- KRALj MILUTIN (1906-1912.) ulje na platnu, 131,5×201 cm (u Sabornoj crkvi u Sremskim Karlovcima)
- ARHIEPISKOP DANILO (1906-1912.) ulje na platnu, 121×200 cm (u Sabornoj crkvi u Sremskim Karlovcima)
- RASPEĆE (1919.) ulje na platnu, 174×275 cm (u Galeriji Matice srpske u Novom Sadu)
- PORTRET SLIKARA SIMINGTONA (oko 1895.) ulje na platnu, 76,5×99 cm (u Narodnom muzeju u Beogradu)
- PORTRET VAJARA ĐOKE JOVANOVIĆA (1906-1908.) ulje na dasci, 19,6×25 cm (u Galeriji Matice srpske u Novom Sadu)
- PORTRET MIHAILA PUPINA (1903.) ulje na platnu, 96×114 cm (u Narodnom muzeju u Beogradu)
- PORTRET GOSPOĐICE PUPUN (1903.) ulje na platnu, 80,5×103 cm (u Narodnom muzeju u Beogradu)
- ŽENA U RUŽIČASTOJ HALjINI (1904.) ulje na platnu, 62,3×117 cm (u Narodnom muzeju u Beogradu)
- PORTRET DR ŠENKA (1906.) ulje na platnu, 55×73 cm (u Galeriji Matice srpske u Novom Sadu)
- PORTRET GOSPOĐE HADSON (1910.) ulje na platnu, 89×150 cm (u Narodnom muzeju u Beogradu)
- IGRAČICA BERGEL (oko 1913.) ulje na platnu, 92,5×126,5 cm (u Narodnom muzeju u Beogradu)
- GEDEON DUNĐERSKI (1916.) ulje na platnu, 115×221 cm (u Narodnom muzeju u Beogradu)
- SOFIJA DUNĐERSKI (1916.) ulje na platnu, 115×210,5 cm (u Galeriji Matice srpske u Novom Sadu)
- TEODORA DUNĐERSKI (1916-1920.) ulje na platnu, 170×144 cm (u Galeriji Matice srpske u Novom Sadu)
- PORTRET KRUNE BOGDANOVIĆ (1919.) ulje na platnu, 115×210 cm (u privatnoj kolekciji Milana St. Markovića)
- PORTRET NIKOLE PAŠIĆA (1922-1926.) ulje na platnu, 60,4×73 cm (u Narodnom muzeju u Beogradu)
- PORTRET SUPRUGE MUNI (1925.) ulje na platnu, 73×99 cm (u Galeriji Matice srpske u Novom Sadu)
- AKT NA CRVENOM OGRTAČU(1918-1920.) ulje na platnu, 115 h 211 -{cm}- (u Muzeju grada Beograda)
- AUTOPORTRET (posle 1930.) ulje na platnu, 29×46 cm (u Galeriji Matice srpske u Novom Sadu)
- MARŠAL TITO (1947.) ulje na platnu, 100×150,5 cm (u Narodnom muzeju u Beogradu)
- MARŠAL TITO((1952.) skica, olovka na hartiji, 30,5 h 24 -{cm}- (u Muzeju grada Beograda)
- VILINSKA ZEMLjA - PARSIFALOV SAN(1906.) litografija i heliografija (u Muzeju grada Beograda)
- MILOŠ, MARKO I VILA (oko 1906.) ulje na platnu, 33,5×53 cm (u Narodnom muzeju u Beogradu)
- DIJANA (1906-1908.) ulje na platnu, 77×68 cm (u Narodnom muzeju u Beogradu)
- KUPAČICA (1906-1908.) ulje na platnu, 40,5×50,5 cm (u Narodnom muzeju u Beogradu)
- CVEĆE (1942.) ulje na dasci, 30×40,2 cm (u Narodnom muzeju u Beogradu)
- CVEĆE (oko 1950.) ulje na dasci, 30,5×40,5 cm (u Muzeju grada Beograda)
- PORTRET KRALjICE MARIJE KARAĐORĐEVIĆ(1925-1930.) ulje na platnu, 210×102 cm (u Muzeju grada Beograda)
- PORTRET MILUTINA MILANKOVIĆA :sr:Слика:MilutinMilankovic.PNG (1943.) ulje na platnu
- PORTRET MILUTINA MILANKOVIĆA(1945.) olovka, papir, kalk-skica, 29,8 h 36,7 cm (u Muzeju grada Beograda)
External links
Further reading
- A Survey of Serbian art by Ljubica D Popovich