The brothers Kostandin Zografi and Athanas Zografi (or as they were known locally, Kostë and Thanas Korçari) were Albanian painters of the 18th century from

Dardhë Dardhë (; sq-definite, Dardha, literally "pear") is a community in the former municipality of Drenovë in Korçë County, Albania. After local government reform in 2015, it became part of the municipality Korçë. It is a well known ski area of ...

, in modern

Korçë Korçë (; sq-definite, Korça) is the eighth most populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Korçë County and Korçë Municipality. The total population is 75,994 (2011 census), in a total area of . It stands on a plateau som ...

municipality, southern

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

(then

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

). They are regarded as the most prominent painters of the Albanian post-

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...

art of the 18th century and generally of the region of

Epirus sq, Epiri rup, Epiru , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Historical region , image_map = Epirus antiquus tabula.jpg , map_alt = , map_caption = Map of ancient Epirus by Heinri ...

.Kirchhainer p. 153 Along with

David Selenicasi David Selenica (; 17th century18th century), also commonly known as Selenicasi, was an Albanians, Albanian Orthodox icon and fresco painter of the Post-Byzantine art, Post-Byzantine period in the seventeenth century. He is regarded as one of the ...

Kostandin Shpataraku Kostandin Shpataraku (; 17361767), also commonly known as Shpataraku, was an Albanian Orthodox icon and fresco painter of the Post-Byzantine period in the eighteenth century. He continued to combine Byzantine tradition with influences from the ...

, Terpo Zografi, Efthim Zografi, Joan Çetiri, Naum Çetiri, Gjergj Çetiri, Nikolla Çetiri, and Ndin Çetiri they represent the School of Korçë painting.

Works

The Zografi brothers have decorated with their paintings several

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...

churches and monasteries throughout central and southern modern Albania, as well as Mount Athos. In particular, their paintings and frescoes in

Moscopole Moscopole or Voskopoja ( sq, Voskopojë; rup, Moscopole, with several other variants; el, Μοσχόπολις, Moschopolis) is a village in Korçë County in southeastern Albania. During the 18th century, it was the cultural and commercial ...

, especially in the church St.

Athanasius Athanasius I of Alexandria, ; cop, ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲡⲓⲁⲡⲟⲥⲧⲟⲗⲓⲕⲟⲥ or Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲁ̅; (c. 296–298 – 2 May 373), also called Athanasius the Great, ...

( sq, Kisha e Shën Thanasit) and the monastery of Saints Cosmas and Damian in

Vithkuq Vithkuq is a village and a former municipality in the Korçë County, southeastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Korçë. The population at the 2011 census was 1,519. The municipal unit c ...

are of unique value. They were active in the period 1736-1783 and usually signed their works in Greek "By the hands of Konstantinos and Athanasios from Korytsa (Korçë)" ( el, Δια χειρός Κωνσταντίνου και Αθανασίου από Κορυτσά). Konstantinos signed many of his works (usually portable icons) as "''Κωνσταντίνος Aρβανίτης''" (aka, Konstantinos the Albanian). Their surname, Zografi, means "painter" in el, Ζωγράφος, .

Technique

The work of the Zografi brothers has a marked tendency towards the baroque, with linear depictions of the religious figures, and at the same time adopting an ornamental style using a wide variety of brown and bright colors. The main colors used in their works were white, bright blue, and dark red. Zografi brothers together with

continued the tradition of the Palaeologan art that was revived at Mount Athos during 18th century.

References

Sources

External links

*Karin Kirchhainer: ''Die Malereien in den Gewölbezonen der Kuppelbasiliken von Voskopoje (Moschopolis).'' Acta Studia Albanica 1, 2007, S. 60–96
Paintings on Deutsche Fotothek
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zografi, Kostandin And Athanas Year of birth missing Year of death missing Sibling duos 18th-century Albanian painters People from Korçë Eastern_Orthodox_Christians_from_Albania Albanian male painters