Born in Našice, his first art lessons were obtained in Osijek, where he studied with Hugo Conrad von Hötzendorf.

He later studied at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich and lived in Italy from 1872–77, where he copied the old masters.

With the help of Josip Juraj Strossmayer, who he had met in Rome, he became a professor of archaeology and art history at the University of Zagreb.

He also served as the first Director of the Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters and was one of the founders of the Museum of Arts and Crafts.

In addition to being a painter and critic, he also translated Dante's Divine Comedy into Croatian and was the author of poems, travelogues and two novels.