[2] The boy "of enormous height and brilliant intelligence" was soon noticed not only for his "gift for painting", and, as an excellent student, his talent for foreign languages, but also for his consciousness of "national belonging", which in his early years already brought him in touch with the political organization at school, one that was affiliated with the movement Mlada Bosna (Young Bosnia), a South Slavic liberation movement.

[2] Due to the lucky circumstance that he happened to be in Sarajevo in the autumn of 1917, he had the opportunity to visit the exhibition in the great hall of the Country Government where the work of all the most well-known painters from Bosnia and Herzegovina at the beginning of the 20th century was displayed.

Therefore, immediately upon his graduation, he sent the Managerial Board of the publishing house in Sarajevo, Prosveta, a letter asking for a grant in the amount of 500 crowns to further his education.

Discouraged by his personal failure, and dissatisfied with the studies at the Academy and the pedagogic approach of professor Vlaho Bukovac, Hakman decided to leave Prague.

[2] Hakman's first summer vacation in 1920 he spent in Tuzla, together with his friends from the Grammar School, who also came home for the holidays when the academic year ended.

Fascinated by their stories about the richness of the museum collections in what was until shortly before then the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, Hakman decided to continue his studies in Vienna.

He enrolled in a private school, where classes were held in an informal manner: students painted according to their personal affinities, while the only corrections made were on errors of a technical nature.

[2] Soon after his arrival, Hakman realized that the situation in the Austrian metropolis was not quite what he wanted either, although the abundant museums of Vienna gave him the chance to enrich his formal education.

That is why he had left Vienna before the end of the school year, intending to ask the Regional Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina for a regular monthly scholarship, to be able to study continually.

[2] Hakman's professors Stanisław Weiss and Jacek Malčewski belonged to the group of Colorists and were the main promoters of post-impressionism in Poland.

Afraid for the future of his work, he addressed the Sarajevo Prosveta for the third time with a request to assist him once more now that he was in such a difficult financial situation, with a loan, so that he would be able to complete his studies.

[4] Due to the selling of a great number of paintings and the improvement of his financial affairs, Hakman realized his dream — to go to Paris for the first time.

He stayed in Paris for four years, during which time he came to Belgrade only once, in 1927, to take part in the VI Yugoslav Exhibition in Novi Sad.

Although he tried to spend the time there helping his friends by using his knowledge of the German language to protect them, or organizing painting courses for prisoners, Hakman was unable to endure the terrible camp ordeal.