The Takovo Uprising
| Serbian: Takovski ustanak | |
 | |
| Artist | Paja Jovanović |
|---|---|
| Year | 1888 |
| Type | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 125.5 cm × 190 cm (49.4 in × 75 in) |
| Location | National Museum of Serbia, Belgrade |
| 44°49′00″N 20°27′34″E / 44.8167°N 20.4594°E | |
Takovski ustanak (English: The Takovo Uprising) is an oil painting by Paja Jovanović which depicts rebel leader Miloš Obrenović inciting his countrymen against the Turks and initiating the Second Serbian Uprising in 1815. The art historian Lilien Filipovitch-Robinson identifies it as one of Jovanović's finest works.
Painted in 1888, the first version measures 125.5 by 190 centimetres (49.4 by 74.8 in). Prior to its creation, Jovanović studied authentic costumes and armaments from the time of the uprising, visited Takovo and sketched the church and large tree under which Obrenović incited the people. Jovanović also studied the facial features of locals and sketched them, and so some of their faces appear in the painting. Jovanović composed two versions, the first of which was displayed in 1889 and donated to the National Museum of Serbia by its original buyer, who had acquired the reproductive rights. Lithographic reproductions were soon made widely available, and distributed by the Serbian Ministry of Education in secondary schools, teachers' schools, and seminaries. Jovanović created a second, smaller version of the painting specially for Serbia's King Alexander in 1898.
Background
Despite the initial success of the First Serbian Uprising, by 1813 the Ottomans had reoccupied vast areas of Serbia that had once been under rebel control, and captured Belgrade. Once Serbia was firmly in their control, the Ottomans carried out numerous revenge killings throughout the countryside.[1] Following these attacks, the Grand Vizier declared an amnesty, and many Serbs who had gone into hiding returned to their homes. Given Serbia's lack of good roads, the Ottomans had to rely on some of the former Serb rebels, such as Stanoje Glavaš and Miloš Obrenović, to maintain order and collect taxes on their behalf. This arrangement remained unchanged until early 1815, when the Ottomans turned on some of the former rebels and killed them. Rumours of an impending Ottoman assault spread quickly throughout Serbia.[2] In April 1815, on Palm Sunday, Serb elders and leaders met in the village of Takovo and elected Obrenović their leader. Shortly afterwards, the Serbs rose in revolt, inflicting a series of humiliating defeats on the Ottomans, in what came to be known as the Second Serbian Uprising. In subsequent peace treaties, the Serbs were granted autonomy, and Obrenović was recognized as the Prince of Serbia.[1]
In 1889, owing to his unpopularity among the people, Obrenović's descendent, King Milan, was forced to abdicate in favour of his young son Alexander, who was made regent. This development came exactly one year after Paja Jovanović completed the The Takovo Uprising.[3] Jovanović was one of Serbia's best known realist painters.[4] The art historian Lilien Filipovitch-Robinson believes The Takovo Uprising was composed in response to the climate of instability dominating Serbian politics at the time.[3] She writes:
Jovanović was promoting a much needed type of imagery. Miloš is shown as a true leader of his people. Devoted to his country, he epitomizes bravery and strength of character reinforced by faith. The painting, then, was more than a careful reiteration of known facts or a historical narrative. Intended as didactic and inspirational, it was to be read in light of the present.[3]
The painting, she asserts, was to serve as "a reminder of Serb achievements during and after the Second Uprising, and of the leadership that made those successes possible."[1] Striving to make the composition as historically accurate as he could, Jovanović studied authentic costumes and armaments from the time of the uprising, visited Takovo and sketched the church and large tree under which Obrenović led the people to revolt. Jovanović also studied the facial features of locals and sketched them, and so some of their faces appear in the painting.[5]
Description
An oil painting, The Takovo Uprising measures 125.5 by 190 centimetres (49.4 by 74.8 in).[1][6] It depicts the moment when Obrenović stood before the Serb leaders and clan elders at Takovo and incited them to revolt. According to legend, he appeared before the crowd and proclaimed: "Here I am, and here you are. War to the Turks!".[4] Jovanović positioned Obrenović slightly left of centre, ensuring that he fully dominates the scene.[1] The rebel leader is shown standing atop a large stone surrounded by a large semi-circle of followers, wearing a turban and a red, oriental-style costume covered in golden embroidery. A sword hangs from his waist, and two pistols protrude from his belt. His right arm points up at the sky, and his hand forms a sign vaguely reminiscent of the modern Serbian three-figured salute (tri prsta), with the thumb, middle and index finger extended, which is believed to have been inspired to some extent by the composition. With his left hand outstretched, Obrenović waves a large revolutionary flag depicting a red cross centered against a white background.[7] The flag is a variant of that used by the Petrović-Njegoš dynasty, which ruled Montenegro at the time of the uprising, and is reminiscent of the Christian flag flown at the Battle of Kosovo, which according to popular belief, marked the beginning of the Ottoman occupation of the Balkans. "From a visual point of view," writes political scientist Anamaria Segesten, "the flag competes with [Obrenović] for the focal point of the composition."[4] Filipovitch-Robinson notes Obrenović's sturdy, unshakable appearance: "He stands with legs extended, feet firmly planted ... holding aloft the banner."[8] The flag provokes an enthusiastic response from the crowd, members of which raise their swords in salute;[9] others gesture with their muskets.[1] "While clearly caught up in the emotion of the moment," Filipovitch-Robinson writes, "they are solid and dignified, ordinary people united by shared beliefs and a common cause."[1]
Beside Obrenović is a priest who gives him his blessing.[9] The priest is bearded, and wears a typical, long black robe and Eastern Orthodox religious headdress; he appears enthused by the crowd. Behind the priest is a large group of Obrenović's followers, most with their swords sheathed and hands emulating Obrenović's three-fingered gesture. To Obrenović's right, a man wearing Turkish clothes (red fez, dolman and shalvar pants) places his hand on the flagpole the rebel leader is holding. It is unclear if the man wishes to take the flag away from Obrenović or help bear it. Behind him, a large group of mustachioed men wearing similar clothes raise their arms and salute Obrenović.[7] Filipovitch-Robinson notes the simple design of the church in front of which the crowd has gathered, and opines that it "reiterates the solidity of their faith". "The brown soil and gravestones of the churchyard," she writes, "stand as reminders of the transitory nature of physical life".[1] Segesten suggests that the portrayal of Obrenović wearing Turkish clothing, particularly a turban, might be a reference to his collaboration with the Ottomans prior to the uprising, and his adoption of Ottoman customs while staying in Istanbul. She notes that half the people gathered around Obrenović are also wearing Turkish clothes, signifying that while they might temporarily have professed loyalty to the Ottoman sultan, they are actually patriots willing to rise up and fight for the Serbian cause when the moment is right.[4]
Reception and legacy
The painting was first shown in 1889.[8] Its original owner donated it to the National Museum of Serbia after acquiring reproductive rights.[10] It made a great impression on Jovanović's contemporaries, and lithographic prints were distributed by the Serbian Ministry of Education in secondary schools, teachers' schools, and seminaries.[1] In 1898, Jovanović composed a second, smaller version of the painting as a gift to King Alexander.[10]
Tim Judah, a journalist specializing in the Balkans, ranks the painting as one of Jovanović's most famous uprising-themed works.[9] Filipovitch-Robinson praises Jovanović for providing "further historical testimony to the steadfast faith that enabled the Serbs to retain their identity and unity as a people and persist in their goal of regaining their freedom and nationhood."[11] She ranks the painting among Jovanović's best, alongside Migration of the Serbs (1896) and The Proclamation of Dušan's Law Codex (1900).[12]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Filipovitch-Robinson 2008, p. 46.
- ↑ Singleton 1985, pp. 82–83.
- 1 2 3 Filipovitch-Robinson 2008, p. 47.
- 1 2 3 4 Segesten 2011, p. 144.
- ↑ Milojković-Djurić 1988, p. 18.
- ↑ "Takovski ustanak". National Museum of Serbia. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
- 1 2 Segesten 2011, p. 143.
- 1 2 Filipovitch-Robinson 2014, p. 53.
- 1 2 3 Judah 2000, p. 69.
- 1 2 Filipovitch-Robinson 2014, p. 60, note 61.
- ↑ Filipovitch-Robinson 2008, pp. 45–46.
- ↑ Filipovitch-Robinson 2014, p. 50.
Works cited
- Antić, Radmila (1970). Paja Jovanović. Belgrade, Yugoslavia: Belgrade City Museum. OCLC 18028481.
- Filipovitch-Robinson, Lilien (2008). "Paja Jovanović and the Imagining of War and Peace" (PDF). Journal of the North American Society for Serbian Studies (Bloomington, Indiana: Slavica Publishers) 22 (1): 35–53. ISSN 0742-3330.
- Filipovitch-Robinson, Lilien (2014). "From Tradition to Modernism: Uroš Predić and Paja Jovanović". In Bogdanović, Jelena; Filipovitch-Robinson, Lilien; Marjanović, Igor. On the Very Edge: Modernism and Modernity in the Arts and Architecture of Interwar Serbia (1918–1941). Leuven, Belgium: Leuven University Press. ISBN 978-90-5867-993-2.
- Judah, Tim (2000). The Serbs: History, Myth and the Destruction of Yugoslavia (2nd ed.). New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-08507-5.
- Milojković-Djurić, Jelena (1988). Tradition and Avant-Garde: Literature and Art in Serbian Culture, 1900–1918 1. Boulder, Colorado: Eastern European Monographs. ISBN 978-0-88033-131-9.
- Segesten, Anamaria Dutceac (2011). Myth, Identity and Conflict: A Comparative Analysis of Romanian and Serbian Textbooks. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books. ISBN 978-0-7391-4867-9.
- Singleton, Frederick Bernard (1985). A Short History of the Yugoslav Peoples. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-27485-2.