Background
Jovanović was born in Vrsac, Austrian Empire (modern day Serbia), on June 16, 1859. His father, Stevan Jovanović, was a photographer. His mother was Ernestina née Deot.
Schillerplatz 3, 1010 Vienna, Austria
Academy of Fine Arts Vienna.
Schillerplatz 3, 1010 Vienna, Austria
Academy of Fine Arts Vienna.
Young Paja Jovanović.
Jovanović was born in Vrsac, Austrian Empire (modern day Serbia), on June 16, 1859. His father, Stevan Jovanović, was a photographer. His mother was Ernestina née Deot.
Paja Jovanović spent his childhood in Vršac, his hometown. It was there that he saw the iconostasis of Pavel Đurković and Arsa Teodorović, which influenced his future works. His first art teacher was Vodecki, he gave the young artist lectures and basic knowledge. His father, Stevan Jovanović, went with Paja Jovanović to Vienna in 1875. He was fifteen when he entered the Academy of Fine Arts in 1877 in the class of professor Christian Griepenkerl, painter and educationalist. Jovanović finished the Academy in 1880. He continued his education, attending several important courses taught by Christian Griepenkerl and Leopold Carl Müller, who was a renowned "orientalist". Soon Jovanović became his best student.
Paja Jovanović found inspiration for his works in numerous travels, including his trips to Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Southern and Eastern Serbia. During his travels, he created sketches of everyday life and customs. He also made thorough notes about landscapes, characters, folk jewelry, costumes, and arms. Full of impressions he created the following works: "Wounded Montenegrin", "Guslar", "Decorating Bride", "Arnaut with čibuk", and "Cockfighting". These paintings brought him a great reputation around the world, particularly in Europe that was highly interested in the Balkans at that time.
The public and many art critics paid much attention to the young gifted painter. In 1883 Jovanović signed a contract with the "French" gallery located in London. Paja Jovanović traveled further to the Caucasus, Egypt, Greece, Italy, and Spain. A great number of sketches, notes, and studies were created during this time, including his famous genre-compositions Fencing, Decorating of the Bride, and Cockfighting. Some of Jovanović's most prominent artworks were gathered at two of his greatest exhibitions: Millennium exhibition in Budapest in 1896 and the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900.
Serbian Patriarch Georgije Branković commissioned Paja Jovanović to paint a monumental historical composition titled "Serb Migrations" under patriarch Arsenije III Čarnojević. Another commission to paint "Triptych" was made by his native town Vršac. To do it Paja Jovanović made a long scientific research and a number of trips. It took about ten months of intensive work. Eventually, the painter was satisfied with the results, but not the patriarch.
After 1905 Jovanović devoted himself exceptionally to creating the portraits. He portrayed rulers, politicians, aristocrats, artists, scientists. Above all, Paja Jovanović liked to paint female characters, because, according to him, he was painting beauty.
Paja Jovanović was an exceptional painter who was highly respected not only in Serbia, but in other countries around the world as well. His monumental artworks, especially the topics displaying life of people and historic scenes, had great influence on art, culture and patriotism of the whole nation. Widely known for his landscapes, he also did portraits of Serbian scientist Mihajlo Pupin, Montenegrin princess Milica and king Nikola, nine portraits of Austrian emperor Franz Joseph, the dancer Bergel, Sofia Dundjerskia and other celebrities.
Jovanović was a recipient of several awards. In 1882 he was awarded the prize of the Academy and was given the Imperial scholarship for the composition The Wounded Montenegrin. In 1940 he was made an honorary citizen of Vršac, and in 1949 he was given the first category Order of Merit for People.
In 1977, in the building of the Old Pharmacy on the Stairs, the permanent commemorative exhibition of Paja Jovanović was opened. Nowadays, most of his works and personal belongings can be found in the Town Museum of Belgrade.
The Wounded Montenegrin
Paja Jovanović - autoporhret
Paja Jovanović, Ženidba Cara Dušana, 1901
Vršac Triptych
The Fencing lesson
1000 Dinara 1931 (Yugoslavian bank note painted by Paja Jovanovic)
Decorating of the Bride
The Wedding of Emperor Stefan Dušan
Sava reconciling his quarreling brothers
The Sword Dance or Fencing Game
Milutin Milanković
The Portrait of the King Alexander I
Migration of the Serbs
Female Nude Sitting in a High-Back Armchair and Female Nude Holding a Book
Miloš, Marko and the Fairy
Paja Jovanović in his Munich studio
Crowning of Emperor Dušan
Uprising of Takovo ( The Second Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire in Takovo, 1815)
Return of the Squad of Montenegrins from the Battle
Furor Teutonicus
Rooster Fight
Albanian resting
Falconer
Two Guards in front of a Gate
Snake Tamer
Mihailo Pupin
Jožef Gorup
Muni, the Artist’s Wife in the Salon
Portrait of a Lady from Vienna
Portrait of the painter Symington
Mrs. Hudson
Djordje Jovanović, Sculptor
Quotations:
"Cyclists. I really hate them. I wish they would not be so self-righteous and realise they are a danger to pedestrians. I wish cyclists would not vindictively snap off wing mirrors on cars when they were trying to cross in front of the car at a danger to motorists and pedestrians."
"I am not sure how much good is done by moralising about fairy tales. This can be unsubtle - telling children that virtue will be rewarded, when in fact it is mostly simply the fact of being the central character that ensures a favourable outcome. Fairy tales are not, on the whole, parables."
"Reading a newspaper is like reading someone's letters, as opposed to a biography or a history. The writer really does not know what will happen. A novelist needs to feel what that is like."
"On buses and trains, I always think about the inexhaustible variety of human genes. We see types, and occasionally twins, but never doubles. All faces are unique, and this is exhilarating, despite the increasingly plastic similarity of TV stars and actors."
Paja Jovanović was made a corresponding member of the Serbian Learned Society in 1884. Four years later, in 1888, the artist became a regular member of the Serbian Royal Academy.
During his late years, Paja Jovanović lived quietly and lonely.
Paja Jovanović was married to a woman called Muni, who was a model for his numerous paintings.
