"Portrait of Bogdan Zimonjić", acrylic on gesso board, Bishop Maxim, 2025

This evocative portrait captures Archpriest Bogdan Zimonjić (1813–1909), the legendary Serbian cleric and rebel leader who championed his people against Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian rule. His piercing gaze, beneath a crimson cap, confronts history with reflection, resolve, and unyielding spirit. Behind him, a luminous white horse emerges from the mists of legend, symbolizing his dual role as spiritual and martial shepherd. A crescent moon hangs in a dark sky, while colorful banners wave, conjuring ceremonial, folkloric, and eschatological themes. The folds of his robe, like mountain ranges, ground him deeply in the soul of Herzegovina. Painted in a post-Byzantine idiom infused with modern expressionism, the artwork harmonizes historical memory and imaginative vision. It celebrates Zimonjić not just as a figure of resistance, but as a potent symbol of a nation’s enduring spiritual freedom.