Lecture ‘Vidosava Kovacevic – A Painter of a Unique Stroke’

As part of the lecture series ‘Serbian Women Artists of the 19^th and 20^th Centuries (The Period of Establishment), Tijana Palkovljević Bugarski, PhD, will give a lecture entitled ’Vidosava Kovačević – A Painter of a Unique Stroke’ at the SASA Grand Hall on Wednesday, 25 March, at 12 o’clock.

Vidosava Kovačević was born on 15 May 1889 in Belgrade to a distinguished family. Her father was a prominent politician, the fact that had a considerable impact on her life and artistic development. She started her education in Belgrade, in the School of Arts and Crafts, under the guidance of Marko Murat, a renowned painter. She attended all courses taught at the school (preparatory course, painting course, art teacher training course, and calligraphy course). After a short break, she continued her studies in Paris, at Académie Julian, and after that at the École des Beaux-Arts. Nevertheless, she remained in Paris for a brief period. Due to tragic events in Serbia, as well as in her family, her brother Vladeta died, Vidosava returned to Belgrade, where she developed rapidly progressing tuberculosis, which claimed her life in 1913.

Her body of work includes 18 drawings, 12 watercolours, an embroidery and 43 oils on canvas. Her work reflects the development of the Serbian painting scene at the beginning of the twentieth century. It testifies to Vidosava Kovačević’s undisputed talent and her artistic growth – from early student, dark, realistic portraits to works characterised by a lighter palette. A small number of mature works put her work among the most notable examples of Serbian Impressionism, with a hint of possible development toward poetic expressionism.

The programme of the lecture series ‘Serbian Women Artists of the 19th and 20th Centuries (The Period of Establishment) can be found in the attachment.