Aleksandar Deroko
Encyclopedia
Aleksandar Deroko was a famous Serbia
n architect, artist, and author. He was a professor of the Belgrade University and a member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
.
and married a local woman. Aleksandars' grandfather, Jovan, came to Belgrade to be an art teacher. On mothers' side, his great uncle was Jovan Djordjevic, the founder of the Serbian national theatre in Novi Sad. He was also related to the famous Serbian writer Stevan Sremac
.
During his childhood years, his family lived in his great uncles' house, in Knez Mihailova
street, in the center of Belgrade. He wasn't a very good student in elementary and secondary school, in fact he barely managed to graduate. As he said in his biography, he preferred boating on the river Sava, than studying. Before the World War I, he enrolled in Technical Faculty of the University of Belgrade
.
. As he was an aeronautical pioneer before the war, he was transferred in to the newly formed Serbian Royal Air Force. He was sent to France for training in the 1915, and thus escaped the retreat of Serbia in the autumn and winter of that year. His squadron joined the recovered Serbian army on the Salonika Front, where he fought until the end of the war and the liberation of Serbia
.
in Rome, Prague
, Brno
and he graduated in Belgrade in 1926. With a French government scholarship
he studied in Paris, where he made friends with Picasso
, Sava Šumanović
, Rastko Petrović, Le Corbusier
and others who lived then in Paris. In the early 1930s he became a full professor at the Architectural Faculty in Belgrade. He taught Medieval and Byzantine
architecture. He made a project, along with the Bogdan Nestorović, for the Temple of Saint Sava in that period, and in the 1935 the work on it begun.
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n architect, artist, and author. He was a professor of the Belgrade University and a member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts is the most prominent academic institution in Serbia today...
.
Biography
His great grandfather was a Venetian by the name of Marco de Rocco, who moved to DubrovnikDubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
and married a local woman. Aleksandars' grandfather, Jovan, came to Belgrade to be an art teacher. On mothers' side, his great uncle was Jovan Djordjevic, the founder of the Serbian national theatre in Novi Sad. He was also related to the famous Serbian writer Stevan Sremac
Stevan Sremac
Stevan Sremac was a Serbian realist and comedy writer. He is considered one of the best truly humorous Serbian writers.-Biography:...
.
During his childhood years, his family lived in his great uncles' house, in Knez Mihailova
Knez Mihailova
Knez Mihailova Street or Prince Michael Street is the main pedestrian and shopping zone in Belgrade, and is protected by law as one of the oldest and most valuable landmarks of the city...
street, in the center of Belgrade. He wasn't a very good student in elementary and secondary school, in fact he barely managed to graduate. As he said in his biography, he preferred boating on the river Sava, than studying. Before the World War I, he enrolled in Technical Faculty of the University of Belgrade
University of Belgrade
The University of Belgrade is the oldest and largest university of Serbia.Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-based departments into a single university...
.
World War I
In the beginning of the World War, he volunteered in artillery, but was transferred to Skoplje to join the battalion of 1300 corporals and was made a sergeantSergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
. As he was an aeronautical pioneer before the war, he was transferred in to the newly formed Serbian Royal Air Force. He was sent to France for training in the 1915, and thus escaped the retreat of Serbia in the autumn and winter of that year. His squadron joined the recovered Serbian army on the Salonika Front, where he fought until the end of the war and the liberation of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
.
Professional life
He studied architectureArchitecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
in Rome, Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
and he graduated in Belgrade in 1926. With a French government scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
he studied in Paris, where he made friends with Picasso
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
, Sava Šumanović
Sava Šumanovic
Sava Šumanović was a 20th-century Serbian painter.Sava Šumanović was born in Vinkovci, today's Croatia in 1896. He graduated from High School in Zemun, across the Danube from Belgrade, where he was first introduced to the art of painting. He later enrolled in the College of Arts in Zagreb then...
, Rastko Petrović, Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
and others who lived then in Paris. In the early 1930s he became a full professor at the Architectural Faculty in Belgrade. He taught Medieval and Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
architecture. He made a project, along with the Bogdan Nestorović, for the Temple of Saint Sava in that period, and in the 1935 the work on it begun.