Jovanovic, Paya

The future artist was born in the city of Vrsac, South Banat District (now Vojvodina , Serbia ), which at that time belonged to the Habsburg Monarchy , which in 1867 became known as Austria-Hungary . Father - Stefan Jovanovic was first married to Ernestine Deot. She died in 1863, leaving three sons - Pavel (Pai), Svetislav and Milan. The next year, Stefan Jovanovic married a second time to Maria de Ponti, who gave birth to five more children - four sons (Alexander, Dzhuru, Ivan, Tinka) and daughter Sofya, who died in infancy. In his youth, the father of a large family who was engaged in trade opened a photo shop in the center of Vršec. After graduating from school, Pai entered the local gymnasium, but did not differ in diligence, with great pleasure he remained in his father’s shop, where he became acquainted with the techniques of photographing and retouching .

At this time, in Vrshce, he could see the work of artists - the icon painter Arseny Theodorovich (1767-1826), Pavel Dzhurkovich, who painted the iconostasis in the Cathedral Church of Vrshce (1772-1830), Jovan Popovich (1810-1864). Paya made friends with his son J. Popovich, together they began to copy the works of old masters, studied painting, made the first sketches. So Paya began to draw, at first secretly, spending hours in the Cathedral Church. Soon he had the opportunity to show his talent. In the community of Vrsz it was decided to re-cast the bells, and it was necessary to draw a copy of the icon from the church to create a relief on the body of the bell. Paya brilliantly coped with the task and received this order, which became a kind of pass to the world of painting and a secret permission to enter the Vienna Academy of Arts . He was 14 years old.

After completing the gymnasium course and attending Professor Mulholds' art school, in 1877 Pai entered the Vienna Academy of Arts, which was experiencing its heyday. With the support of Emperor Franz Joseph I, the Academy received the status of a higher art educational institution in the country, in 1877 the construction of the new Academy building on Ringsstrasse ^{[5] was completed} , in which it is located to this day. A reform of student education was carried out at the Academy - a division into general and special subjects was introduced. Among the special classes of historical painting, landscape , graphics , sculpture, architecture, as specialized. The model of the Düsseldorf Academy of Arts , which made it possible to create small groups of students in classes and provide them with the best conditions for consulting with a master (professor) and improving skills ^{[6], was} taken as the basis. Paya Jovanovic enrolled in the class of historical painting, which was led by Professor Christian Gripenkerl . On July 21, 1880, Paya Jovanovic received a diploma confirming that he had successfully completed this course. In the first year of study, Paya Jovanovic applied for a scholarship of philanthropist Christopher Fifman of 300 florins, but was received by Uros Predic , who was a senior student, who also became a famous artist. The following year, Jovanovic received a more modest scholarship of 200 florins from the philanthropist Gavrila Romanovich, which was paid to him until 1883. After graduating from Gripenkerl, Pai spent 3 years in the class of historical painting, Professor Leopold Karl Müller , who gained fame with oriental compositions that were successfully sold in art galleries in Europe.

Paya Jovanovic traveled a lot - in his travels in the Balkans he found inspiration for his works. As a student at the Vienna Academy of Arts, he traveled along the coast of Montenegro , was in Albania , Bosnia , eastern and southern Serbia. He worked a lot on sketches and was interested in everyday life and the customs of the Balkan peoples. He tried to sketch costumes, jewelry, weapons in detail. He paid much attention to the landscapes surrounding him. At the end of the first year of study in the Müller class, the painting “Wounded Montenegrin” was shown at the reporting exhibition and Paya Jovanovic received the second prize. The next year, Paya Jovanovic presented the painting "The Guslyar" and again received the award.

After graduating from the Academy, he faced a choice of how to further manage his fate - he could return to his native land, following the example of Uros Predich. However, in this case, he would remain a regional artist of the Balkan peoples and the Habsburg monarchy; at the end of the 19th century, Serbian painting basically came down to religious painting . Therefore, the main genres here were a portrait and an icon . Another way is to stay in the European capital of painting and create a career as an academic artist. The successes of Jovanovic in his last years of study, as well as his ambitiousness, made his choice. Paya Jovanovic worked in Vienna, Munich , Paris , London , where he painted numerous portraits ^[7] .

In London, Jovanovic met the gallery owner Thomas Wallis, with whom he collaborated until 1889. At the suggestion of Wallis, the artist again went on a trip to the Balkans - he visited Montenegro in 1885, and in 1886 went even further - visited northern Africa , Morocco and Egypt . Then Jovanovic moved to Paris and moved to another gallery owner Arthur Tutu. The artist’s canvases were popular - Paya Jovanovic was awarded prizes. In 1889, at the exhibition in Vienna, the painting “Cockfight” received a gold medal. At the state exhibition in Paris, the painting “Coronation of Tsar Dushan” was also awarded a gold medal. At the anniversary exhibition held in Vienna in 1908, Paya Jovanovic received an honorary diploma from the Austrian Ministry of Culture ^[8] .

• Uros Predic