Gallery of Matica Srpska

The portrait of Jovan Popović Tekelija is a typical ceremonial portrait with all the trappings characteristic of his social status as the forbear of a noble family. He is dressed in a red coat adorned with gilded buttons and embroidery, on top of which he wears a cape trimmed with fur. 

Around the waist he has a five-fold black girdle, while his chest is decorated with two medals that he obtained for his war service – symbols of well-earned distinction and recognized privilege.

In the portrait he stands leaning against a table with his right arm holding a mace, while his left hand rests on a sword – symbols of military profession and the high position he was holding.

A drapery can be seen in the background and the family coat of arms painted in the right corner, with Jovan’s initials on top – symbols of the newly acquired social status.  

One of the most representative portraits of Stefan Knićanin is the one painted in 1849 by Uroš Knežević. The motive for the painting of this portrait was Knićanin’s tremendous contribution to the success of the battle for Pančevo in 1848.

As a token of gratitude for the successful defense of the city of Pančevo against the Hungarian forces in 1848, the city council and the citizens of Pančevo presented him with a canon, In the half-length portrait, Uroš Knežević painted the Commander in life size, lavishly dressed in clothes embroidered with silver and gold thread.  

His chest is decorated with medals and the wide waistband holds two pistols and a knife with the engraved name Stefan Knićanin. His right hand, holding a spyglass, rests on the canon, while the other hand is clasped round the sabre. Behind him is a battlefield with soldiers and army tents, taking most of the background, with the outlines of Pančevo in the distance.  

This is the portrait in half-length of the young Emperor Joseph II, son of the Empress Maria Theresa, with his body turned to the left and the head to the right, while the eyes are directed towards the viewer. He is dressed in the dark green uniform of the light cavalry regiment, below which is visible a yellow brocade vest, white lace collar and the royal sash.

The Gold Fleece medal hanging on a short lace is the symbol of his loyalty to this order of chivalry, while on the uniform coat there are the ribbons and stars of the orders of Maria Theresa and Saint Stefan. 

The face of the young Emperor bears traces of pain and grief that he surely felt after the recent death of his first wife, Isabella of Parma and their new-born baby daughter. The portrait of Emperor Joseph II was probably painted by Joseph Hickel, a painter of Czech origin.  

Konstantin Danil painted the portraits of the members of a landowning family, the ‘highborn’ Jagodićes of Krnjača. The virtuosity of the painting technique and the deep insight into the character of the sitter make the portrait of Petar Jagodić one of the most beautiful portraits among those painted by Danil.

Pavel Đurković painted the portrait of Atanasije Stojković, who at the time was professor of physics and chancellor of the University of Kharkov. The oval-shaped portrait shows a young-looking man dressed in a black coat with gilt buttons and a high red collar decorated with goldwork embroidery.

Under the coat he has a white shirt with a stand-up collar and a red ribbon with the medal of the third grade Order of Saint Vladimir which Stojković received from the Russian Tsar Alexander I, together with two other medals, meticulously painted in red and gold.

This portrait is a testimony to the outstanding status and reputation of Atanasije Stojković, a scientist, writer and erudite who had been educated at German Universities of Göttingen and Jena.  

Novak Radonić achieved most as a painter of portraits, the art form in which his talent truly came to the fore. The portrait of his friend Jovan Jovanović, latter also known by the epithet Zmaj, belongs to this group and was painted in 1854. The portrait Jovan Jovanović as a Young Man presents the poet as a Romantic hero: he is shown in waist-length, dressed in a short, Hungarian- style coat, but the main attention is concentrated on his face.

Jovanović wears a hat with a wide brim that throws a gossamer-like shadow on the upper part of his face, so that his eyes are in a shade, while the lower parts of the face, overgrown in a gold-colored beard and moustache, are lit. The face was modeled in wide strokes, reminiscent of the technique of two Viennese painters, Karl Rahl and Friedrich von Amerling, particularly because the poet’s face is lit from the side.  

Painter’s Mother is one of Voja Trifunović earliest works. He portrayed his mother, Persida Trifunović in intimate home atmosphere. Persida is fully dedicated to the work in her hands – knitting. 

The right side of the painting is better lit than the portrait itself, with a still life containing a china tea-set and half a lemon, an indication of a comfortable family home. The lightly bent head, the lowered eyes and the concentration on the knitting, speak about the character of the painter’s mother, her gentleness and reticence.  

Novak Radonić always presented himself as calm and composed, however, behind the apparent self-control, there lurk strong emotions. The inner tension is emphasized by the contrast of light and dark, and by the dark color-scheme, achieving agreeable harmony between color and light. In the portrait, Radonić holds his head slightly bowed, his gaze wistful and contemplative.

He wears a white shirt, with a black, low-cut waistcoat and a tie knotted into a bow. His oval face is framed by a thick brown beard and short hair. The presentation of his own self as a tormentor begs the question of the inner struggle that was going on in him.  

The canvas Gypsy Woman is one of the most impressive works of Danica Jovanović. The woman wears a bright yellow scarf, framing her face and separating it in a halo-like fashion from the dark background, and a white shirt, in coloristic contrast to the black hair and dark complexion. 

Very discretely, the painter gave just a suggestion of the gold earrings and a red necklace, however, the jewelry does not, as would be expected, suggest gentleness or femininity in the sitter. On the contrary, her face reflects life-long experience and the burden of years and hard work.

This Roma woman, with her pensive, worried gaze directed into the distance, testifies to the hardships of the peasant life, she exudes authenticity and the spirit of her people.  

Stevan Aleksić depicts himself in a tavern, his favorite surroundings, sitting at the table on which, upon a crumpled tablecloth, there is a carafe of vine, a glass, some tobacco and a match-box, as obligatory inventory in the given setting of this dismal place rendered in minute naturalistic detail.

From the murky background loom eager faces, those of his acquaintances from Modoš, his pupils and colleagues. The painter laughs, holding a glass of vine, proposing a toast to the viewer, while a skeleton, leaning against him, plays the violin next to his ear. 

The figure of death playing the violin has the role of a moralizing messenger who warns against the futility, ephemerality, and tragic delusiveness of human life, however, judging by its and the painter’s laughter, it can be concluded that here the ephemerality is presented in a predominantly hedonistic key.  

The painting depicts an important moment in Serbian history, the proclamation of the law codex, compiled on the order of Tsar Dušan and passed at the Council held by the Serbian nobility and clergy in Skopje in 1349. In front of the church, in the central part of the composition, stand Tsar Dušan, Tsarina Jelena and their son Uroš in their ceremonial robes and paraphernalia, after the Byzantine fashion.

The solemn atmosphere of the occasion is highlighted by the ceremonial clothes and costumes of the Tsar’s guards and the Serbian cavalry, with their long trumpets and banners streaming above the figures of those present at the scene.  

This painting entitled The Serbian National Assembly, May 1, 1848, popularly known as The May Assembly in 1848 is a visual document of the most important political event in the life of Serbian people in the Habsburg monarchy during the 19th century – the moment of the proclamation of Serbian Vojvodina.

In the middle of the composition, in the most prominent place, stands the newly-elected Patriarch Josif Rajačić, addressing the Serbs gathered around him. In the left hand he holds the original text of the imperial privileges granted to the Serbian people as an invitation and guaranty, immediately before the Great Serbian Exodus in 1690.

In the left side of the picture a young man with the chest stripped of clothes lies on the floor, surrounded by two men and a weeping woman, who kneels beside him. An old man, probably his father, approaches with his arms spread out, surrounded by a group of men from the village.  

In Đorđe Krstić painting The First and the Second Serbian Uprising – An Allegory, he associated the idea of the restoration of the Serbian sovereignty with the rising of the sun.

In the central part of the painting, above the dark clouds, in the sky where the sun is rising, there is an open book on the pages of which are presented the portraits of Karađorđe and Miloš Obrenović, the two leaders of the First and the Second Serbian uprising. 

Next to them there are the figures of two angels, one of whom is blowing the trumpet, while the other holds a torch in his hand. Below them, on the ground, there is a temple under the heavy clouds.

In the forefront in the lower part of the painting there is an open book, the history of the Serbian nation with the fateful years 1389, 1804, 1815 inscribed on the front page, together with a globe showing the map of Serbia.

To the right of this, there is a group of children carrying books, while one of them is writing the following text on a poster: “In this storehouse we offer books and stationery for sale …”