Bulgarian Artists - Zlatyu Boyadjiev / Златю Бояджиев (1903-1976)
Bulgarian painter Zlatyu Boyadjiev was born in Brezovo in 1903. In 1932 he graduated from the Academy of Art, Sofia, having studied under Tzeno Todorov (1877–1953). In 1939 he went to Italy, where he studied painting. On his return to Bulgaria, he was a founder of the ‘Baratzite’ group, along with his fellow artists Vasil Barakov (b 1902) and David Peretz (1906–82). Mainly a painter of figure compositions, portraits and landscapes, Boyadjiev experimented with different styles and techniques, ranging from a type of Impressionism to a treatment of the form in a synthesized and monumental manner (e.g. Autumn, 1921; Sofia, N.A.G.;; and Slaughtering a Pig, Christmas, 1943; Plovdiv A.G.). In 1951, due to a serious illness, his right hand and part of his body became paralysed. After two years he began to paint again, this time using his left hand. As a result, his style changed drastically. His paintings became expressive and dramatic and he paid special attention to folkloric and mythical motifs. Some of his works involve the observer in their intricate plots, while others are mystical and filled with symbolism, as in the Village of Brezovo (1959; Sofia, N.A.G.), On the Way to the Slaughterhouse (1960; Plovdiv A.G.) and Two Weddings (1972; Sofia, N.A.G.). A permanent exhibition of his work is located in his home town of Brezovo.
Music: Gabriel Faure - Après un rêve for Cello and Piano, Op. 7, No. 1
Bulgarian Artists - Vladimir Rilski / Владимир Рилски (1905-1969)
Vladimir Rilski was born in 1905 in Peshtera in a family of the prominent intellectual Georgi Rilski. He graduated from Plovdiv's male high school Alexander I and went to the Art Academy in Sofia in 1925 where his professors were Prof. Dimitar Gyudzhenov, Prof. Nikola Marinov and Prof. Stefan Ivanov. In 1929, he went to specialization in Vienna. After returning to Bulgaria, Vladimir Rilski started working as a secondary school teacher in Plovdiv. He joins the circle of the so called “barracks” (бараците) along with Vasil Barakov, Zlatyu Boyadjiev, Tsanko Lavrenov, whose unifying motto is “national art”. His first solo exhibition Rilski organized in Plovdiv in 1938. He also made a joint exhibition with Zlatyu Boyadjiev.
Since 1945, he has been teaching at the Art Academy in Sofia. During this period he participated in many exhibitions, and in 1946 his own exhibition in Sofia was opened by the writer Georgi Karaslavov. In 1949, Rilski went to work in Smolyan where hi made panels, painted posters, inscribed interiors of public buildings in order to support his family in Sofia. Indicative of Vladimir Rilski's personality is the attitude of his contemporaries to him - because of his idealistic spirit and self-denial, he was called by the people of the Rhodope Mountains “безсребърник” (the poor one) and “the King of the Forest”. This mystic-lyrical philosophy of life reflects on Rilski's art - his painting brings the romance of church iconography and the realism of Bulgarian folk art. That is why the artist is still considered to be one of the brightest representatives of the movement for national art in the 30s and 40s of the 20th century. It is from that period (the 30s of the 20th century) the emblematic cycle of paintings of houses from Koprivshtitsa village in Bulgaria. Many of these paintings were shown at his solo exhibition in Sofia in 1964. Today his works are exhibited at the National Art Gallery in Sofia, and the art galleries of Plovdiv, Vratsa, Varna, Smolyan, Pernik, Karlovo, Kazanlak and other state and private collections.
Music: A. Scriabin - Mazurka Op. 40, No. 2 in F-Sharp Major
Bulgarian Artists - Tsanko Lavrenov / Цанко Лавренов (1896-1978)
Bulgarian painter and writer Tsanko Lavrenov was born in 1896 in Plovdiv. He was born into an old and well-respected family and graduated from the French College in Plovdiv. Because of World War I, he was not able to enter the Academy of Art in Sofia and instead worked for his father in his shop. His visits to Vienna in 1921 and Italy in 1925 convinced him that he should become a self-taught painter. He was one of the most important artists in Bulgaria in the 20th century, achieving renown for his unique style of painting and for his decorative, brightly coloured scenes of legends and fairy tales. After a visit in 1942 to the monasteries in Mt Athos, which inspired such paintings as The Khilandar Monastery (1943) and The Zograph Monastery (1946), he began an extensive series of paintings, Bulgarian Monasteries. From the 1930s to the 1960s he was a member of the so-called ‘Plovdiv Artists’ group, whose art dealt with the spirit and the romantic traditions of that ancient city. Therefore, many of his paintings, such as Old Plovdiv (1930; Sofia, National Art Gallery) and Plovdiv’s Renaissance Men (1970; Plovdiv, Tzanko Lavrenov Museum), evoke the 19th-century atmospheres of Plovdiv and such other old Bulgarian towns as Gabrovo and the former capital Tŭrnovo. Lavrenov also painted subjects from Bulgarian history, as in his series of Visions from Ancient Bulgaria, which included such works as Tsar Simeon I Being Welcomed in Preslav (1941) and the Coronation of Ivailo in Tŭrnovo (1973; Sofia, N.A.G.). After moving to Sofia, he became involved in theoretical research on Bulgarian graphic art and in 1958 published a book on a fellow artist from Plovdiv, Zlatyu Boyadjiev. In accordance with Lavrenov’s will, a Tzanko Lavrenov Museum was established in the house of his birth in Plovdiv, and the majority of his works are located there.
Music: Gabriel Faure - Sicilienne for Flute and Piano, Op. 78
Paintings by Emil Angelov Belev | Bulgaria
These beautiful paintings were created by Emil Angelov Belev , Bulgaria. The talented artist presents colorful scenes and captures female beauty in a unique and interesting way
To see more artwork and contact the artist on facebook:
_____________________________________________________
For more paintings and great art visit our FB:
Bulgarian Artists - Nenko Balkanski / Ненко Балкански (1907-1977)
Nenko Balkanski was born in Kazanlak in 1907. He graduated with painting from the Art Academy in Sofia in 1930 in the classes of Prof. Nikola Marinov and Prof. Boris Mitov. In the same year he made his first exhibition in Kazanlak. He then studied in Paris and Munich and also specialized in France and Italy in 1939-1941.
In 1947, Nenko Balkanski became a lecturer at the Art Academy in Sofia, and in 1959 he became a professor. He was a member of the Native Art Society and the Society of the New Artists.
In 1980, his wife Lilyana Balkanska donated 1600 works by Nenko Balkanski to the 13 Centuries Bulgaria Fund - oil paintings, watercolors, ink and pastels. Part of the artist's works are in the collections of the National Art Gallery in Sofia, but the majority of his works are preserved by the Art Gallery in Kazanlak.
Music: E. Grieg - Lyric Pieces: Berceuse op. 38 Nr. 1
Bulgarian Painters - Georgi Bozhilov-The Elephant / Георги Божилов-Слона (1935-2001)
Georgi Bozhilov-The Elephant was born in Plovdiv in 1935 in the family of Maria and Yordan Bozhilov. In 1953 he graduates from the “Dimitar Blagoev” High School in Plovdiv.Attends the drawing circle of artist Mihail Lyutov. In 1953, he continues his studies at the Higher Institute of Art “Nikolay Pavlovich” (today’s National Academy of Art) in the Decorative and Monumental Art programme in the class of Prof. Georgi Bogdanov. In 1959, he participates in the First International Biennial of Young Artists in Paris. From 1960 on he participates in regional art exhibitions and General Art Exhibitions (GAE). Takes part in all major national exhibitions organized abroad. In 1961 is appointed as a member of the Union of Bulgarian Artists (UBA). In 1965 participates in the Youth Biennial in Paris. In 1967 his first solo exhibition is organized by Atanas Krastev in the yard of his house in Plovdiv. In 1979 is awarded the title of Honoured Artist. In 1985 is decorated with the Order of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria 2nd Class. In 1986, for merit in art and culture in Bulgaria, is awarded with the Order of Cyril and Methodious, 1st Class. In 2001 is awarded the Zahari Zograph Prize for Painting of the Union of Bulgarian Artists. Georgi Bozhilov dies in May 30, 2001 as a result of a serious road accident.
Following his death, Georgi Bozhilov-The Elephant Memorial House was opened in Plovdiv and Georgi Bozhilov-The Elephant Foundation was set up. Today, the better part of Georgi Bozhilov’s heritage is to be found in the National Gallery of Art, Sofia Art Gallery and the art galleries of Sliven, Targovishte, Stara Zagora, Kazanlak, Sozopol, Bourgas, Pleven, and others. His works are owned by collectors in Bulgaria and abroad.
Bulgarian Artists - Elisaveta Konsulova-Vazova / Елисавета Консулова Вазова (1881-1965)
Elisaveta Konsulova was born on 4 December 1881 Plovdiv. Encouraged by her father, in 1897, Konsulova entered the State School of Painting, studying with Jaroslav Věšín. During her schooling, she was introduced to a young lieutenant Boris Vazov, younger brother of the Famous Bulgarian writer Ivan Vazov, who she would have a secret relationship with for eight years. Her parents disapproved of his lack of status and they had to exchange letters through a classmate. Konsulova graduated in 1902 and though she wanted to continue her studies abroad, she was unable to do so due to her father's death and the need for her to provide financial support for the family.
Konsulova began giving private painting lessons to students, like Bistra Vinarova, soon after her graduation. In the meantime, Boris had been sent to study in Paris and completed his doctorate in law. When he returned to Bulgaria, Konsulova's mother finally gave consent for their marriage. Konsulova-Vazova, having kept her maiden name, continued to paint in the studio built for her in their house at 11 August Street. Most of her works were portraits and still lifes done in the Impressionist style and quite a few of the portraits were of her brother-in-law, Ivan. She opened a girls' painting school on the top floor of the house, and in spite of having two daughters, Elka (born 1907) and Sabina (born 1909), known as Binka, Konsulova-Vazova still dreamed of continuing her studies.
At the encouragement of her mother-in-law, Saba Vazova, in 1909, Konsulova-Vazova and her two daughters moved to Munichto attend classes at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts in the women's department. Her two most noted pieces from this time were Ladies in White and Portrait in White. After graduating from her courses, Konsulova-Vazova returned to Sofia and gave birth to her third daughter, Ana in 1911. Continuing her work, she created many portraits during this time. In 1911, she participated in an exhibition in Prague Bulgarian Woman and presented works she had created over the previous four years. In 1912, she exhibited in the show of the Lada Union of South Slavic Artists with her piece Ladies in White.
During the First Balkan War, Konsulova-Vazova became a Red Cross volunteer, nursing cholera patients in Lozengrad and Yambol after the First Battle of Çatalca. In 1919 in a Sofia event, she became the first professional woman artist in Bulgaria to hold a solo exhibit. Some of her most noted works from this period were portraits of cultural figures, including: Portrait of the Writer Stoyan Mihaylovski (1918), Portrait of Dobri Hristov (1919), Portrait of a Boy (1920), Portrait of Ivan Vazov (1920), Portrait of Aleksandar Bozhinov (bg) (1925), among others.
The 1920s ushered in a decade of artistic expansion in Bulgaria and intellectuals flourished. Konsulova-Vazova and Elena Karamihaylova came into their own during the period as noted Impressionists. At the beginning of the decade, she spent another extended period studying in Germany between 1920 and 1922. Konsulova-Vazova participated in a variety of cultural projects, such as the Czechoslovak-Bulgarian Reciprocity Association, created the first boarding house for Bulgarian students in Prague. In 1930, she participated in the Bulgarian Folk Art Exhibition at the National Technical Museum.
In 1934 and again in 1935, Konsulova-Vazova showed artworks in Sofia exhibits and in 1937 was awarded the medal For encouragement to Humanity in the second degree. The following year she co-organized the Commonwealth Artisan-crafts Exhibition held in May and then in the summer went to Prague to organize an exhibit on Bulgarian art for the National Ethnographic Museum. After the Bulgarian coup d'état of 1944, all artistic associations in the country were suspended and many intellectuals and artists left the country. Though Boris had served six terms in the National Assembly, his pension was terminated. Konsulova-Vazova turned to translating fairy tales to support them. In 1948, she joined the Union of Bulgarian Artists. Though mostly living a quiet existence in this period, in 1956, she held a jubilee exhibition of her works.
Konsulova-Vazova died on 29 August, 1965 in Sofia, which at that time was in the People's Republic of Bulgaria. Numerous posthumous exhibitions of her work have been shown throughout the world in places as far flung as Paris, Prague, São Paulo, and Warsaw. In 2004, she was a featured artist at the Bulgarian National Art Gallery.
Music: Sergey Rachmaninov - Prelude No. 6, Op. 23