John, Zograf – son of Pop Theodore from gramoste (village of Mount Gramos). One is of the most prominent painters from the time of the Ohrid Archbishop Prohor. He was a contemporary of the great founder, Prince Dimitar Pepic from Kratovo, as well as the famous painter Onufrius Argitis. It was formed on the traditions of the older Kosturpolk painting. His activity is followed between 1534 to 1542, from Kostur to the old Old Obestilian Zaranche (Demir Hisar), with the highest production in the monasteries “St. John Podrom “in the blind and the Toplic” St. Nicholas. ” He also worked in the neighboring villages of Sloeshtica and Bucchin. It seems that he had a painter atelier and followers monks in the monastery blind. He signed in Greek on the sidelines of the throne icon Jesus Christ Sotir (1534-1535). It is a painter with high artistic qualities, comparable to classical Paleologic painting, a good connoisseur of dogmatics (the vision of Ezekiel, quotes from the Liturgy), is actual as in terms of the presocoved saints (painted the office of the Saint Gjorgi New Kratovo), so and in Relationship of political tendencies of the Ohrid Archbishop Prohor, regarding the return of the supremacy over the Serbian Church (presents Serbian cults> Saints Simeon and Sava), etc. He knows them, equally, the Greek and Church Slavic language. His rich opus is still unexplored. Lit.: K. Balabanov, new data on the monastery and the Manstir Church of St. Nicholas Toplets, Skopje, 1956, 9; M. M. Mascovic, John Zograf and his artistic activity – previous and latest knowledge, “cultural heritage”, 22-23 / 1995-96, Skopje, 1997, 69-79. M. M. The dismissal Metropolitan John.
Original article in Macedonian language Cyrillic alphabet
Кириличен напис ЈОВАН, Зограф