Bulgarian artist Vladimir Dimitrov Maistor

Self-portrait. 1921. Bulgarian artist Vladimir Dimitrov Maistor (1 February 1882 – 29 September 1960)
Noteworthy, Bulgarian artist Vladimir Dimitrov Maistor (1 February 1882 – 29 September 1960) became famous both because of his paintings and because of his lifestyle. Thus, even after he became famous, having chosen to live in poverty and asceticism, he gave away all of his possessions and money to poor people. He, in particular, wore old clothes, gave up shaving and preferred only vegetarian food. In fact, many people thought him to be a saint and showed great affection for him even in his lifetime.
Born on February 1, 1882 in the village of Frolosh in the present Stankedimitrovsky district, just four years after the liberation of the Bulgarian people from the five-century Turkish yoke. Growing up in a poor peasant family, he learned early of poverty. One of his early works is a portrait of his father, created in 1907. All permeated with filial love, executed with picturesque ease, it gives an idea of the impetuous nature and deep observation of a person close to nature. By nature, the spiritual world and temperament, Maistor has much in common with the father. Meanwhile, his father, an inquisitive and gifted man by nature, played several folk musical instruments. Subsequently, his son not only sang in the field with reapers, at weddings and other village festivities, but he himself liked to play the folk string instrument.
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