The Wounded Montenegrin

The Wounded Montenegrin
Serbian: Ranjeni Crnogorac
A shirtless man lying on the ground, surrounded by a group of people
Artist Paja Jovanović
Year 1882
Type Oil on canvas
Dimensions 114 cm × 186 cm (45 in × 73 in)
Location Matica Srpska gallery, Novi Sad, Serbia

The Wounded Montenegrin (Serbian Latin: Ranjeni Crnogorac) is a 1882 oil painting by the artist Paja Jovanović, one of Serbia's most prominent realist painters of the late 19th century. It depicts a wounded youth surrounded by peasants in traditional clothing, likely during the Montenegrin–Ottoman War of 1876–78.

The painting garnered praise from critics, and won the first-place prize at the Academy of Fine Arts' annual art exhibition in Vienna. Given its success, Jovanović was granted an Austro-Hungarian government scholarship and entered into a contract with the French Gallery in London to produce a series of paintings on Balkan life. Art historians consider it one of Jovanović's best Orientalist works, and it is currently on display at the Matica Srpska gallery in Novi Sad.

Background

Paja Jovanović, c. 1899

Paja Jovanović (1859 – 1957) was one of the most prominent Serbian realist painters of the late 19th century.[1] During his early career, he came to be identified with Orientalist painting, depicting scenes from the Balkans, which were then under the control of the Ottoman Empire.[2] Between 1877 and 1882, he attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, where he came under the mentorship of painting instructors Christian Griepenkerl and Leopold Müller. Griepenkerl taught the young Jovanović the underlying structural principles of Renaissance and Baroque art, thus helping him better understand spatial problems and the arrangement of large numbers of figures, both moving and static. Müller encouraged Jovanović to take a naturalist approach to painting, recording only what he could see and relying as little as possible on his imagination. It was in this context that Müller instructed Jovanović to make direct studies of Balkan life during his visits home, purposely steering him towards Orientalist painting.[3]

Orientalist works, vignettes of "exotic life" in the Middle East, North Africa and the Balkans, were quite popular with Central and Western European art collectors in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. At the time of The Wounded Montenegrin's composition, events in the Balkans had been making headline news in European capitals for decades.[4] The Montenegrins had fought and lost the 1861–62 Montenegrin–Ottoman War. This was followed by about a decade of peace, but in 1872, the Ottomans massacred twenty-two Montenegrins. The Herzegovina Uprising of 1875 prompted Montenegro and Serbia to declare war on the Ottoman Empire, sparking the Great Eastern Crisis of 1875–78. The wars ended in the Treaty of Berlin in 1878, but occasional cross-border skirmishing continued until the early 1880s.[2] Although Jovanović never specified, it is likely the painting is set during the 1876–78 Montenegrin–Ottoman War.[4]

Painting

An oil painting, The Wounded Montenegrin measures 114 by 186 centimetres (45 in × 73 in).[5] In line with Müller's advice, Jovanović avoided creating a sentimental work and focused instead on depicting characters and situations he observed during his time in the Balkans. This differentiates the painting from other Orientalist paintings of the day, which were based on travel accounts rather than first-hand experience.[4] The painting shows a muscular, wounded youth surrounded by ten peasants in a humble single-room dwelling.[2] Based on their surroundings, it is clear the figures live in poverty. The peasants wear hand-sewn shirts, rough leggings and leather shoes. The dwelling has a dirt floor, and in the background, a collection of eating utensils hangs precariously from a makeshift shelf. The youth is cradled in the arms of a crouching, shaved-headed warrior. The two are surrounded by a pair of heavily armed men on either side of them.[4] Nearby, a light-haired girl quietly grieves. To the right of these figures stands a grief-stricken old man, himself surrounded by a number of figures in folk attire.[2]

The art historian Lilien Filipovitch-Robinson notes that the grouping of the figures and their interactions with one another are reminiscent of images of the lamentation over the body of Christ.[2] The right half of the scene recedes into shadow while the brightly illuminated left, where the principal figures are located, appears to expand towards the viewer. Jovanović thus directs the viewer's eye from left to right, foreground to background, through the circular pattern of the groupings as well as the diagonal lines of the peasants' swords. In line with Müller's teachings regarding light and colour, Jovanović adds touches of bright red to give warmth and movement to the scene, making it appear as though it is unfolding before the viewer. The brushwork is varied, ranging from the smooth broad strokes that define the solidity of the walls to quick short ones that make it appear like the figures are in motion.[6]

Filipovitch-Robinson praises Jovanović's "skillful handling" of linear and aerial perspective. She notes that the work is devoid of the "studio-contrived quality" of other Orientalist paintings, and argues that Jovanović's main goal was not to depict a particular historical event but rather to remind his audience of the Balkan peoples' ongoing struggle against the Ottoman Turks and provide a human face to those engaged in that struggle.[6]

Reception

The painting was first shown in public in 1882, at the Vienna Academy's annual exhibition.[7] It was well received by art critics and Jovanović's peers, who judged it to be the exhibition's finest work and bestowed him the first-place prize.[3][7] Jovanović also received an Austro-Hungarian government scholarship of 1,000 florins.[7] Winning the Vienna Academy prize established him as a respected painter of Orientalist works and set the stage for further recognition and success.[4] In 1883, Jovanović entered into a contract with Ernest Gambart's French Gallery in London to produce a series of paintings on Balkan life.[8] This contract assured him life-long financial security.[9] The Wounded Montenegrin was purchased by the Hungarian government in 1883 and put on display at the Hungarian National Museum.[10]

Art historians consider The Wounded Montenegrin one of Jovanović's best Orientalist works.[2][11] He went on to paint a number of other Orientalist pieces, notably The Snake Charmer (1887).[12] The Wounded Montenegrin is currently on display at the Matica Srpska gallery in Novi Sad.[13]

References

Works cited

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