Things were certainly opening up for Ivan Mestrovic but his troubles were by no means over. He received a small grant from his native village but this was not nearly enough to provide him even with the necessities of life, so that during his four years of study at the Academy in Vienna he constantly felt the pinch of poverty. Then the attitude of the proud Austrian people towards the Serbians, together with the fact that his early education had been sadly neglected, often embarrassed him. But Ivan was not easily discouraged and his determination to become a great sculptor became stronger every day. From Vienna he went to Rome and then on to Paris where he studied for two years, coming into contact with the great sculptor Auguste Rodin, who was quick to recognise the true genius of the Serbian youth. Soon the excellent quality of Ivan’s work began to attract attention and he was recognised as a student of much more than ordinary ability. In 1911 there was a great exhibition of art in Rome and in the Serbian pavilion the work of Ivan Mastrovic was displayed on a much greater scale than on any previous occasion. He had a magnificent model of Serbia’s national hero, Kraljevic Marko, which almost seemed to breathe, it was so lifelike. There were scenes depicted from Serbian history with marvellous grace, and besides these there were models of his father, his mother and some of the shepherds whom as a boy he had seen around his native hills. This exhibition of Ivan’s work created a very favourable impression; it might almost be said a sensation, for everyone who saw it realised that it was the work of a true genius. During the days of the Great War Ivan Mestrovic lived in Rome. They were sad days for him, for with the retreat of the Serbian army it seemed as though the brave little nation would be crushed again, as in the days of the Turkish oppression. His mind turned much to the sorrows of Christ and out of walnut wood he depicted many incidents from sacred history such as Christ on the Cross and other scenes which set forth the sorrows of the Saviour. In 1915 Ivan Mestrovic astounded even his admirers by conducting a one-man exhibition in the Victoria and Albert Museum, Kensington, London, England. The exhibition was a great revelation to the British public. It was even a greater triumph than that he had achieved at Rome and his wonderful statues in wood and plaster and stone were the subject of favourable comment from all quarters. Of course much of his work could not be seen at exhibitions such as at Rome and London, for it was done in churches. It is said that one of the finest pieces of artistry in stone to be seen anywhere is his work in the Chapel of the Madonna of the Angels at Cavtat. Critics say that no finer work has been done in modern times than that which Mestrovic has done in this chapel.