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with authentic humanity.
Moved by the brilliance of the Ljeviša paintings,
this wise Easterner, with a noble spirit and a refined appreciation for timeless beauty, stands closer to us today than if he had left behind his name. Breaking free from the confines of his land and religion, he pas- sionately embraced the art he witnessed. With sincere admiration, he bestowed a tribute to real art, a recog- nition expressed through the words of an artist—a verse from the celebrated Persian lyricist, Hafiz—a poetic salutation to boundless joy: “My eye’s pupil is your nest.”
According to Christos Yannaras, in navigating life’s uncharted course, we follow the compass of our deepest desires. Love, in its transformative power, re- casts mere existence into meaningful connection, of- fering a fresh lens through which to view life. This is equally palpable in the realm of art; even in art’s pre- liminary stages, there is a resonance akin to the first flickers of understanding. Art transcends a mere fac- tual engagement with the world. The artist strives to imprint upon his canvases the singular hypostasis that an object, person, or place holds in his perception. Be- yond the tangible impression, he constructs and man- ifests his distinct, irreplaceable interaction with the world. His concern is not with a photographic replica- tion of reality—that would place him in the realm of empirical science, not art. He is an artist because he unearths a certain radiance, even in the most mun- dane objects of daily life—the singularity of a “logos” speaking directly to him. Embracing this “logos” be- comes his own personal response: a unique and un- paralleled artistic expression that defines him as a painter.
Your Brush
In the realm of art, a wondrous shift takes place, From a skilled artist to an icons’ embrace, Enacting Resurrection’s joy in unique refrain, Where all is aglow with boundless gain.
A light unfading bathes all things in sight, Corruptible takes on incorruptible might, Mortality transcends, seizing immortality’s plea, In this godly dance of life’s grand jubilee.
Amidst this spectacle, you stand in awe,
As joy engulfs, leaving you awestruck and raw, Your brush, a conduit to the earthquake’s force, Where hell is vanquished, and death destroyed.
In each stroke, captured the triumph of the day, Raising the dead, as they join in the feast’s array, Your artistry a vase for the sacred and profound, Iconographer’s path, in divine realms unbound.
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