Georgije "Đura" Jakšić ( sr-Cyrl, Георгије Ђура Јакшић; 27 July 1832 – 16 November 1878) was a Serbian poet, painter, writer, dramatist and

bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

Biography

Đura Jakšić was born as Georgije Jakšić in

Srpska Crnja Srpska Crnja ( sr-cyr, Српска Црња) is a village in Serbia, situated in central-east Banat alongside the border with Romania. It is located in Nova Crnja municipality, Central Banat District, Province of Vojvodina. It is about 120&nbs ...

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central- Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...

(present-day

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hu ...

). His father was a

Serbian Orthodox The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous ( ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian churches. The majority of the population ...

priest. Georgije's early education took place in

Timișoara ), City of Roses ( ro, Orașul florilor), City of Parks ( ro, Orașul parcurilor) , image_map = Timisoara jud Timis.svg , map_caption = Location in Timiș County , pushpin_map = Romania#Europe , pushpin_ ...

and

Szeged Szeged ( , ; see also other alternative names) is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat of Csongrád-Csanád county. The University of Szeged is one of the m ...

. He lived for a time in

Zrenjanin Zrenjanin ( sr-Cyrl, Зрењанин, ; hu, Nagybecskerek; ro, Becicherecu Mare; sk, Zreňanin; german: Großbetschkerek) is a city and the administrative center of the Central Banat District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbi ...

, where he began studying painting under Konstantin Danil. He later studied

fine arts In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwor ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

and

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...

but the

revolution of 1848 The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europe ...

interrupted his education, which he never finished. He took active part in the 1848 Revolution and was wounded while fighting in Srbobran. After the revolution he moved to

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; names in other languages) is the capital and largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. Nearly 1,166,763 mi ...

Principality of Serbia The Principality of Serbia ( sr-Cyrl, Књажество Србија, Knjažestvo Srbija) was an autonomous state in the Balkans that came into existence as a result of the Serbian Revolution, which lasted between 1804 and 1817. Its creation wa ...

, where he served as a schoolteacher, a

lector Lector is Latin for one who reads, whether aloud or not. In modern languages it takes various forms, as either a development or a loan, such as french: lecteur, en, lector, pl, lektor and russian: лектор. It has various specialized uses. ...

in a state-owned printing office, and in various other jobs, although he was often unemployed. As a political liberal, he was persecuted by authorities. Jakšić died in 1878, having had taken part in the uprising against the Turks in

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...

. Jakšić is one of the most expressive representatives of Serbian

Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

. According to Serbian literary critic Jovan Skerlić, Jakšiċ was influenced mainly by Sándor Petőfi, the great Hungarian poet of the 1848 Revolution, and

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and has been regarded as among the ...

's poetry depicting the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...

Literary works

Đura Jakšić wrote about forty short stories and three full-length dramas in verse on historical themes: *''

Stanoje Glavaš Stanoje Stamatović ( sr-cyr, Станоје Стаматовић), known as Stanoje Glavaš (Станоје Главаш; 21 February 1763 – 15 February 1815) was a Serbian hajduk and hero in the First Serbian Uprising. Life Glavaš was born i ...

'' (1878) *The Migration of the Serbs (''Seoba Srbalja'', 1864) *Elizabeth the Montenegrin Queen (''Jelisaveta kneginja crnogorska'', 1868) and the novel ''Warriors''. He also wrote poems, several of which are considered among the best of 19th-century Serbian poetry: '' Na Liparu'' (On the Lipar Hill), '' Put u Gornjak'' (The Road to Gornjak) and '' Mila'', which is dedicated to his first love Mila, who he intended to marry but never found courage to tell her. He also drew sketches of Mila, one of which later became his famous painting " Devojka u Plavom" (The Girl in Blue). Other notable poems are ''Otadžbina'' (Fatherland), ''Veče'' (Evening) and ''Ponoć'' (Midnight). Jakšić published ''Pripovetke'' (Short Stories), which was released posthumously in two volumes on two occasions, 1882–1883 and 1902 in Belgrade. Through them he expressed his pessimism and bitterness about the harsh blows life and people had dealt him. A popular motif in Jakšić's work is the

Battle of Kosovo The Battle of Kosovo ( tr, Kosova Savaşı; sr, Косовска битка) took place on 15 June 1389 between an army led by the Serbian Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović and an invading army of the Ottoman Empire under the command of Sultan ...

, Kosovo myth, eagles and Serbian epic poetry.

Artistic opus

Jakšić painted around 200 paintings. The main influences on Jakšić were

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally cons ...

Diego Velázquez Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (baptized June 6, 1599August 6, 1660) was a Spanish painter, the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV of Spain and Portugal, and of the Spanish Golden Age. He was an individualistic artist of th ...

and

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradit ...

. Jakšić's work varies in quality, ranging from masterpieces to half-professional paintings. According to Novak Radonić, the biggest problem with his painting is the improper use of anatomy. His most praised picture is " The Lady in Blue", which was used for promotion during the reopening of the

National Museum of Serbia The National Museum of Serbia ( sr, / ) is the largest and oldest museum in Belgrade, Serbia. It is located in the central zone of Belgrade on a square plot between the Republic Square, formerly Theatre Square, and three streets: Čika Ljubina ...

. The following paintings by Đura Jakšić are part of the collection of the National Museum in Belgrade: * Autoprotrait * Battle of Montenegris * Kosovo * Night Watch (''Na straži'') * ''Ubistvo Karađorđa'' (The Assassination of

Karađorđe Petrović Đorđe Petrović ( sr-Cyrl, Ђорђе Петровић, ), better known by the sobriquet Karađorđe ( sr-Cyrl, Карађорђе, lit=Black George, ; – ), was a Serbian revolutionary who led the struggle for his country's independ ...

) * Strahinja Ban ( Strahinja Banović) * Knez Lazar Hrebeljanović ( Lazar of Serbia) * Girl in Blue (''Devojka u plavom'') * Portrait of director Ćirić * Car Dušan ( Stephen Uroš IV Dušan of Serbia) * Knjaz Milan Obrenović IV *Nevesta Baja Pivljanina (The bride of

Bajo Pivljanin Bajo Pivljanin ( sr-cyr, Бајо Пивљанин – 7 May 1685), born Dragojlo Nikolić, was a Montenegrin and Serbian '' hajduk'' commander mostly active in the Ottoman territories of Herzegovina and southern Dalmatia. Born in Piva, at the ...

)

Legacy

Đura Jakšić is included in The 100 most prominent Serbs. His house in

is currently used as a Memorial Museum and for poetry performances. Jakšić was one of the leaders of Serbian Romanticism and one of the country's greatest painters of that movement, together witk Novak Radonić. Although he wrote a number of loosely organized romantic plays, he is mostly known for his paintings and poetry. His poems include sonnets, lyrics, patriotic songs and full-scale epics. His favorite theme is nature and the patriotism. The award for the best book of poetry in the

Serbian language Serbian (, ) is the standardized variety of the Serbo-Croatian language mainly used by Serbs. It is the official and national language of Serbia, one of the three official languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina and co-official in Montenegro and ...

bears his name. Jakšić was also a teacher and a professor; schools and colleges throughout Serbia bear his name. A number of anecdotes about Jakšić was published.

Gallery

File:Đura Jakšić - Knez Lazar, 1857‒1859, Narodni muzej.jpg, '' knez Lazar Hrebeljanović'', 1857‒1859 File:Đura Jakšić - Devojka u plavom, 1856, Narodni muzej u Beogradu, Zbirka Joce Vujića.jpg, ''Devojka u plavom (Girl in Blue),'' 1856 File:Đura Jakšić - Odmor posle boja (Karaula), 1876, Narodni muzej.jpg, ''Odmor posle boja (karaula)'', 1876 File:Đura Jakšić - Autoportret, 1857‒1858, Narodni muzej.jpg, ''Self-portrait'', 1857‒1858 File:Đura Jakšić - Takovski ustanak, 1876‒1878, Narodni muzej.jpg, ''The Uprising at Takovo,'' 1876‒1878 File:Đura Jakšić - Crnogorac, 1875, Narodni muzej Crne Gore, Cetinje.jpg, '' Montenegrin'', 1875 File:Đura Jakšić - Ustanak Crnogoraca, 1862, Galerija Matice srpske.jpg, ''Uprising of Montenegrins'', 1862

References

* Translated and adapted from Jovan Skerlić's ''Istorija Nove Srpske Književnosti''/History of New Serbian Literature (Belegrade, 1914, 1921), pages 310–319.

External links

*
Đura Jakšić's grave at ''Belgrade Graveyards website

A collection of scanned books by Jakšić

Translated works by Đura Jakšić
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jaksic, Dura 1832 births 1878 deaths People from Nova Crnja Serbian dramatists and playwrights Serbian male short story writers Serbian male painters Serbian male poets 19th-century Serbian poets 19th-century Serbian dramatists and playwrights 19th-century Serbian painters 19th-century male artists 19th-century short story writers 19th-century male writers Poètes maudits Burials at Belgrade New Cemetery