ing at the Academy with Professor Ekster, who she consid- ered as being a genius, Nadežda returned to Belgrade dur- ing a tumultuous time of Serbian history, on the eve of the coup against King Alexander and Queen Draga. She be- came politically active, reacting to changes in society and attempting to organise the cultural public, after which – with the help of Branislav Nušić – she founded the Circle of Serbian Sisters. In order to ensure she could be everywhere she need- ed to be, this large and stout woman was always ready to hit the road, on horseback, by train, on foot… she travelled constantly, like some artistic missionary, preacher and war- rior. Until 1910, Nadežda exhibited her new paintings of rural landscapes, Belgrade scenes and portraits at several collective exhibitions, but the critics remained unforgiv- ingly negative. The turbulent year of 1908 brought major demonstrations to the streets of Belgrade, which had been led by Branislav Nušić. Nadežda cancelled classes at the school where she taught and, together with her students, headed to the demonstrations. When she soon appeared on the balcony of the National Theatre, the crowd greeted her with ovations. It was in those days that she received the nickname “Yugoslavian Hope” [Nada means hope in Serbian]. She constantly called for a struggle to be mount- ed against the tyranny of the Austrian emperor, for free- dom, and founded the League for the National Rights of Oppressed Women, the Committee of Serbian Women. Following this volatile period of social engagement, she headed to Paris in 1910, where she resided in the stu- dio of Ivan Meštrović. It was during this period that she fa- miliarised herself with avant-garde artistic trends, with art- ists like Matisse and Picasso. She also met Roden, and the famous sculptor selected the works in her studio that she would present at the Autumn Salon. Under the impression of everything she’d seen, her painting would also change and her works would show her full maturity as a painter.
After commemorating the 150 th anniversary of the birth of this magnificent Serbian artist, the Nadežda Petrović Art Gallery in Čačak is presenting an an- alytical exhibition of Nadežda's artistic majesty. With this exhibition, this paint- er – as a herald of change in art – also shows the continuity in the disconti- nuity of styles and directions through almost a century and a half. Changes and liberation from conventional restraints and the traditionalist approach can be sensed and read in each of the exhibited works, by analysing Nadež- da’s artistic and social mission, leading to solutions that constitute contem- porary artistic practice today. That’s why this exhibition, entitled “Nadežda - Contemporaries – Followers”, represents an attempt to overview her influ- ence on Serbian art and artists. The exhibition will remain open until 14 th April.
Nadežda spent her final years as a volunteer nurse, initially in the Balkan Wars, when she didn’t want to stay in the infirmary and specifically demanded to be sent to the front and an improvised field hospital. And during those moments when bullets whistled past her head, while she looked death in the eyes and bandaged the wounded tirelessly, Nadežda also managed to do a little painting. As soon as the Great War broke out, she again requested to be recruited as a nurse. She turned down the proposal of the Supreme Command that she become a member of the Red Cross in Switzerland, in- stead reporting immediately for duty at the field hospi- tal of the Danube Division. At the height of battle, with a typhus epidemic running rife at the hospital and feel- ing exhausted, Nadežda used the last of her strength to paint the tents of the Valjevo hospital, until the infec- tious disease also hit her. She was ill for seven days, on- ly to succumb on 3 rd April, 1915. After years of being rejected and forgotten, a 1938 retrospective exhibition of her works at Belgrade’s Cvi- jeta Zuzorić Art Pavilion returned Nadežda to her right- ful place in the Serbian pantheon of painters.
U memorijalnoj sobi galerije „Nadežda Petrović“ u Čačku prvi put u Srbiji će biti predstavljena slika sa vedutom „Venecija“, dimenzija 70 x 50 cm In the memorial room of the gallery Nadežda Petrović in Čačak, a painting of the veduta of “Venice”, with dimensions of 70cm x 50cm, will be presented in Serbia for the first time
Art » Umetnost | 39
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