Autoportret, source

Talented family

Hello Stemians,

Today I decided to write about one of the most important Serbian female painters Nadežda Petrović. She is one of my favourite painters and I highly appreciate her work! :)

Nadezda Petrovic was born in 1873, while her family still lived in the town of Čačak. Famous Serbian writer Rastko Petrović was the youngest child of Petrović family, borned in 1898. He was brother of this famous painter.

Their father, Mita Petrović, who in his youth wanted to become a painter, tried to enable his children to develop talents, to draw, learn music and to write.

Gračanica painting, source

Munich days

After completing the Women's School in 1891, Nadežda is taking the exam to obtain a diploma for drawing teacher. Deeper painting education began in the First Serbian School of Drawing, Kiril Kutlika, where her uncle Svetozar Zorić and his family friend Đorđe Krstić lectured. In 1898 she continued to teach painting in Munich. 

There she faces a different approach to painting techniques, in which her teacher conveyed her that the perception of drawing, color and composition can not be separated and that the problems in the painting are solved by color. 

 In Munich school, she also experienced the first painting in nature. At the same time, Wassily Kandinsky and Aleksej Javjenski are staying in this studio, and the great influence on Nadezhda is also having a socializing with Ivan Mestrovic, Miroslav Kraljević, Milan Milovanović and others.

Resnik painting, source

Young Serbian, Croatian and Slovenian painters will later realize the first joint exhibitions of the Yugoslav orientation. Nadežda planned to stay in Munich for a year, and stayed for four full years, during which time she learned German, Russian and French.

Vezirov most painting, source

Target for critics 

The first and unfortunately only solo exhibition, Nadežda Petrović is organizing in the premises of the Great School in Belgrade on August 25, 1900. Although she was somewhat acknowledged by her talent, the criticism at the time was merciless in regard to her "novelties", but also in terms of a model for impressionist paintings.

After staying at the Academy with Professor Ekster, whom she considered to be brilliant, Nadežda returned to Belgrade in a tumultuous period of Serbian history, just before fall of King Alexander and Queen Draga. According to one source, Nadežda  returned to her house at that time to help her family because her father Mita Petrović was suddenly retired by the order of King Alexander Obrenović, who was angry because Mita, an expert in Serbian history, refused to write the biography of Queen Draga in which he would describe her noble origins. 

Kosovski božuri painting, source

War days

At the same time, Nadežda is politically active, she reacts to changes in society.  She tries to organize a cultural public, and then with the help of comedian Branislav Nusić, he establishes the "Kolo Srpskih sestara", charity organization. As the secretary of the Society, Nadežda moves to the military mission of the Serbian government visiting the south-west corps, all the way to Kičevo. Upon her returning to Belgrade, Nadežda, with a series of patriotic articles, Nadežda helped people in disadvantaged areas.

In order to arrive everywhere, this big, decisive woman was always ready to go on a trip, on a horse, on a train, on foot... She traveled all the time, like an artistic missionary, a preacher and a fighter. Until 1910 Nadežda exhibited her new paintings, rural landscapes, Belgrade scenes, portraits at several collective exhibitions, but the criticism remains negative.

Hospital in Valjevo, source

Meeting the famous

After a turbulent period of social engagement, in 1910, she left for Paris, where he resides in the studio of Ivan Mestrović. It is a period of familiarity with avant-garde artistic trends, with artists like Matisse and Picasso. Nadezda meets Roden, and the famous sculptor in her studio chooses the works she will present at the Autumn Salon.

Nadežda stay in Paris was interrupted in April 1911 by a telegram informing her that her father was dying. Something after the death of the father, she also loses the mother whom Nadežda was especially attached to.

Prizrenka painting, source

Her last years Nadežda Petrović spent as a voluntary nurse, first in the Balkan Wars, when she did not want to remain in the medical care, but specifically demanded to be sent to the front. And in the moments when the bullets blew around her head, while watching death in the eyes and tirelessly overwhelming the wounded, Nadeža managed to paint a bit. When the Second Balkan War ended, she went with her sister to go visit Venice and to "see beauty".

In the war, she was sick for seven days and died on April 3, 1915.

Old lady portrait, source

Thanks for reading,

Hope you like my text!

@srba