David Selenica

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Frescoes in the St. Nicholas Church in Voskopoja
Fresco in the Church of St. John the Baptist in Kastoria

David Selenica or Selenicasi was an Albanian painter of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He is considered one of the most famous masters of icon painting in post-Byzantine Albania.

Life

David Selenica was born in Selenica, a village in the area of ​​today's Kolonja municipality in Albania, at the end of the 17th century . Named after his hometown, he is also known as David of Selenica . Little is known about the artist's family of origin and education.

Selenica's activity is documented in Albania and Greece between 1715 and 1727. In 1715 he painted the frescoes in one of the churches of the Megisti Lavra Monastery , the first monastery built on Mount Athos . From 1722 to 1726, together with his two students Constantine and Christo, he created the murals and frescoes in the St. Nicholas Church ( Albanian  Kisha e Shën Kollit ) in Voskopoja, built in 1721 . In 1727 he painted the murals and frescoes of the Church of St. John the Baptist in Kastoria and the Church of Mary in Thessaloniki .

Unlike other painters of his time, Selenica used bright colors in his paintings and icons. He combined elements of Byzantine art from the era of the palaeologists and the Venetian school .

His work also influenced contemporary painters such as Kostandin Shpataraku , the brothers Kostandin and Athanas Zografi, and other artists from the early 19th century. He is considered the founder of a special painting school in Korça.

David Selenica died near Korça in the middle of the 18th century .

Preserved works

His works are exhibited in the Icon Pavilion of the National Historical Museum in the Albanian capital Tirana and in the National Museum of Medieval Art in Korça. Further works by Selenica can be found in several monasteries on Mount Athos. Seven of his murals are preserved in Voskopoja.

Web links

Commons : David Selenica  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Theofan Popa: Piktorët mesjetarë Shqiptarë . Ed .: Ministry of Education and Culture. 1961, p. 63-5 (Albanian, online ).
  2. ↑ Académie des sciences de la République Populaire d'Albanie, Institut d'histoire, Institut de linguistique et littérature (ed.): Studia Albanica . tape 37 , 2004, p. 65 (French).
  3. ^ A b Carlo Pirovano (ed.): Percorsi del sacro: icone dai musei albanesi . Electa, 2002, ISBN 978-88-435-8292-1 , pp. 37-38, 67 (Italian, online ).
  4. ↑ Renate Ndarurinz: Discovering Albania: In the footsteps of Skanderbeg . Trescher, 2008, ISBN 3-89794-125-2 , pp. 109 ( online ).
personal data
SURNAME Selenica, David
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Selenica, David of; Selenicasi
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Albanian master of icon painting
DATE OF BIRTH 17th century
PLACE OF BIRTH Selenica, Kolonja Municipality , Albania
DATE OF DEATH 18th century
Place of death Korça , Albania