Serbia, Monastery Decani, The Prophet Isaiah, detail, copy of the fresco

Zoran B. Jovanovic was born in 1956. in Mladenovac, Serbia. He studied art history at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade. He has been delved into a research of medieval Serbian and Byzantine art for three and a half decades.

He has been devoted to the copying of medieval Serbian frescoes since 1985. To be able to master the technique and to achieve the top quality, he resides and works in medieval churches every summer.

During the process of copying, Zoran repeats the technique and method of the original master. He works with pigments similar to the medieval pallet, mixed with casein as a binder. He paints on a canvas stretched across a wooden frame, which surface he prepares using his own recipe to imitate the texture of a wall. As a frame for his painting, he uses a simple wood molding to be able to give to the painting a finished look but not to disturb the impression of a wall fragment. He keeps the canvas constantly wet and then, thanks to ability to read the layers of color from the original fresco, he applies pigments in the same order and technique as medieval artist. In that way, he is able to achieve the highest level of imitation. He paints carefully and slowly with constant color check, copying even the damaged parts of the original fresco. That kind of a process doesn't leave much room for mistakes, yet enables Zoran to achieve the hardiest - to repeat the brash strokes of the medieval master.

There is a century and a half long tradition of copying medieval frescoes in Serbia. It is a part of a rich cultural inheritance. Extraordinary work of previous copyists, as a true legacy, inspires work of new comers. Sadly, the skill and the devotion are slowly disappearing. The Gallery of Frescoes in Belgrade, preserves and exhibits a numerous collection of the Serbian fresco copies. Parts of the collection travel the world often, spreading the beauty and the richness of the Serbian culture and heritage. Some of them are Zoran's contributions.

REMARK: In the descriptions of the images it is indicated which are currently for sale and which can be ordered (finishing time is specified or can be specified later on). It is also possible to order a fragment of a fresco that is not pictured in the gallery, due to Zoran's rich collection of photos and outlines of the frescoes from many Serbian medieval churches.

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