Draft:Makarije Zograf

Makarije (second half of the 14th century — first half of the 15th century) known as Makarije Zograf was a Serbian medieval zograf or icon painter in the Eastern Orthodox tradition. He should not be confused with Hieromonk Makarije of the 15th century.

Biography
Makarije Zograf's biography is reconstructed primarily on the basis of the aforementioned records of monasteries and churches that he vividly painted. We know that his father Hajko, who built the narthex of the Zrze monastery near Prilep, became a monk there and died as monk Hariton. His widow with their sons - Pribila and Prijezda, took conscientious care of the church, so that in 1369 according to records the chancel was newly-painted. The young men became monks and took the names Jovan and Makarije, soon they became famous as Zrzan painters, and both left the monastery in 1395 to work on other assignments in other monasteries.

Frescoes in Ljubostinja
Around 1405, Makarije painted the church of the Ljubostinja monastery for Princess Milica. According to art historian Srđan Đurić, its cold and pale colour is reminiscent of Roman palaces. The most famous frescoes are the Fifth Ecumenical Council and the Healing of the Weak.

Researchers have been able to ascertain that in 1421 or 1422, Makarije painted a large icon of the Virgin of Pelagonija. Another Makarije's unsigned work is certainly the fresco of the Virgin with Christ in a niche above the entrance to the church of the village of Zrze, and perhaps also the one above the entrance to the Prilep Church of the Virgin of the Immaculate.

Makarije Zograf's brother was elevated to Metropolitan in the Serbian Orthodox Church and became known as Metropolitan Jovan Zograf (The Icon-Painter)

The 14th-century Serbian masters who created the frescoes and icons are mostly unknown, and if they sign, they do it in a place that is hard to see, such as Makarije in Ljubostinja, Jovan, his brother, in Ravanica, etc. They worked for glory in another world.