Draft:Dimitar Papradiski

Dimitar Andonov Papradiški (Papradište, then part of Ottoman Empire,now North Macedonia, 1859 - Skopje, Yugoslavia, 4 January 1954) was a Macedonian painter. He is known in art circles as a historical painter and portraitist.

Life and career
He was born in 1859 in the small village of Papradište near the town of Veles. In his hometown, and then in Veles, he completed the lower grades of elementary school that were available at that time. As he was unable to continue his education, at the age of 20 he became independent and became an icon painter.

The desire to continue his education never left him, so he did so from 1882-1883 by enrolling at the art school for icon painters in Kyiv, which he successfully completed. At the persuasion of his professor, in 1887, he continued his studies at the prestigious Moscow University. He listened to all the questions and suggestions of the professor and for the first time presented his work, an icon in the Byzantine style, at a competition exhibition held at the Theological Academy in Moscow. The icon won a silver medal at the competition and a cash prize of 1,000 rubles. He was admitted to regular education and received a scholarship.

In 1887, after the first successful exhibition, he learned that the entire village, including his family, had been looted and destroyed. This news forced him to return and help his family. He remained in his native village and never returned to the university in Moscow.

He was independent in his work, and he gained his first artistic experiences from his father. Together with his father, he worked as an icon painter in churches in Gevgelija and Dojran. As his artistic talent, inherited from his father, came to the fore, he soon became independent in his work and became a better icon painter than his father.

He died on 4 January 1954 at the age of 95 in Skopje.

Family background
Dimitar Papradiški comes from a family of emigrants. The Albanians forced them to move out of their native village of Toros. The whole family, generations ago, was engaged in painting frescoes, but also in construction work (stone masons and engravers). His calling in life was not unexpected.

Legacy
Dimitar Papradiški, in his long creative career, painted more than 1,200 icons, about 100 churches in Macedonia and Serbia.

He is considered one of the most productive painters. He was the originator of portrait painting among Macedonian painters and the first modern painter in the modern Macedonian art.