 Paja (Pavle) Jovanović was born in Vršac 150 years ago. Today, a romantic, tree-lined street in his native town carries his name, as does an elementary school, an art club, a memorial room in the Classicist-Baroque style building that used to house the city’s oldest pharmacy... He acquired his early education in art in his birthplace, and then as a young man moved to Vienna, where he graduated from the Arts Academy. In 1888, he was elected member of the Serbian Royal Academy. He is also known as Serbia’s first "European’ painter", and as an "oriental" painter of landscapes, folk costumes, weapons, historical compositions, portraits of distinguished cultural figures, famous women, emperors and kings, the artist behind the iconostases in Novi Sad and Dolovo...
A painter defined as an academic realist and impressionist, he won many medals and decorations and his works can be found not only in museums in Serbia, but also in galleries elsewhere in Europe, Australia and America.
It is a little known fact, however, that this great painter also made a name for himself in the history of Serbia’s coinage and the National Bank of Serbia, for which he designed one of the bank’s most striking banknotes. There has always existed an inseparable creative bond between top artists and money. Not only was older metal money often designed according to top-quality artistic standards, but so was newer paper money. The artists behind the notes could be either renowned or unknown artists. An artist may appear asthe author of a drawing and/or the engraver of printing plates for a certain banknote according to a submitted drawing. The issues of Yugoslav royal money banknotes were printed in France. They were signed by such famous French artists and engravers as C. Serveau, E. Deloche, G. Fraipont. The first banknote wrought in a Serbian money-manufacturing plant was in 1929 at the Institute at Topčider in Belgrade, where money is still printed to this day. The Institute’s banknotes since the 1930s were initialed by such great artists as Djordje Andrejević-Kun, Vasa Pomorišac, Paja Jovanović.
 In January 1933, the 1,000-dinar banknote was put into circulation – a banknote designed by Paja Jovanović. It carries the date December 1, 1931. This was the first time that a portrait of a distinguished woman – a historical person, Queen Marija Karadjordjević – was presented to the public on a banknote. The banknote’s front side is dominated by the Queen’s portrait; in the middle, a watermark bears the portrait of King Aleksandar I, and on the right side is an eagle in flight. The text in the central section is written in Cyrillic script. In the lower left-hand side corner is written the name of the drawing’s author – P. YOVANOVITSCH FEC. In the right corner is the name of the engraver – E. DELOCHE SC. (Fec., short for Latin fecit, meaning "made by"; Sc., short from Latin sculpsit, engraved by).
 On the banknote’s reverse side, to the left and to the right are representations of women; the one on the left holds a sickle and sheaf of hay, while the one on the right holds a sword and a shield with the state coat of arms. The text is written in Latin script. The drawing is acute; it breathes lightness and virtuosity, inspiring the illusion of monumentality, as folk elements are combined with portrait. The banknote was issued by the National Bank of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and printed by the Institute at Topčider. It was initialed by the then Central bank governor, Ignjat J. Bajloni. The printing of the plates, the photography, the review of the design for the banknote were all carried out in Paris at the bank at which the banknote’s engraver was employed.
Paja Jovanović used the sketches and studies he did in 1925-1927 for the central portrait on the banknote, that of Queen Marija Karadjordjević. They are now part of his legacy, housed in the Belgrade City Museum. The National Bank of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia contacted the painter in Vienna as early as 1928. It offered him a commission to design this banknote. Paja Jovanović’s correspondence with the Central Bank governor in 1929 discussing the design and commission fee has been preserved. The painter received a generous fee amounting to 100,000 dinars for this design. This sum exceeded the amount other artists received at the time for designing banknotes.
The look of paper money since its first appearance in Europe more than 300 years ago has changed from black and white inscriptions to genuine coloured images. The technology of making paper money is of paramount importance and is being developed all the time – high-quality paper, various levels of protection, state-of-the-art printing technologies, recognisable national design, trust-instilling holograms. However, the traditional skill of the artist has been fundamental, and continues to be so to this day, in creating artistic and protective elements of money. This is borne out by painter Paja Jovanović, who authored the drawing of one of our most striking banknotes and who remained true to himself and his life philosophy – Discovering Beauty Is Art.
*Dedicated to the great painter, donor of the Belgrade City Museum and the Vršac City Museum, member of the Serbian Royal Academy in Belgrade, honourary resident of the city of Vršac, recipient of numerous recognitions, our own Paja Jovanović, on the occasion of his 150th birth anniversary. | 
