55. The pink rose (Girl from German village) [1940]

Vasil Stoilov is one of the most lyrical and delicate Bulgarian painters, alongside Boris Georgiev. It is no coincidence that he favored watercolor, because of the rich possibilities it offers for preserving the transparency of color and the airy, luminous atmosphere. Even in his oil painting on canvas, he applied this approach, maintaining the lightness of the paint through the application of thin glazes. Vasil Stoilov was born into a large family of a priest from the village of German. At a very young age, he lost his mother, and this sorrow can be felt in all the female figures he painted. Throughout his life, he remained deeply connected to his father’s birthplace, to Bulgarian daily life, and to folk culture. Even today, the community cultural center (chitalishte) in the village of German bears the name “Prof. Vasil Stoilov.” The painting The Pink Rose (Girl from the Village of German) possesses all the characteristic features of his work from the 1940s—realistic and poetic Renaissance form, transparency of color, and soft, silky tones. The young girl is spiritualized, radiating nobility and restraint. She is placed in the modest interior of a rural home, in a moment of rest from household work. Her hands are gently extended forward, resting on her blue apron. Her crystal-blue eyes are thoughtful, her gaze direct. A pink rose is tucked into her long, braided hair—a symbol of her youth and purity. The female figures in the artist’s work embody his ideal of elevated spirituality and dignity of the Bulgarian woman, her tenderness and beauty. A related work in emotional impact is Bulgarian Madonna, which carries some features of the Christian iconography of the Virgin Mary. Vasil Stoilov remains in the history of Bulgarian art with his expressive portraits, multi-figure historical compositions, and lyrical landscapes. (S.N.)

Dimensions

width 85.5 cm, height 100 cm, custom 100 × 85,5 cm

Description

oil on plywood, signed and dated upper right, in brown, "В. Стоиловъ, 1940"

Lot.notes

exhibition label on the back

Dating

1940

PROVENANCE

collection of Stancho Dimitriev - a respected lawyer and public figure in the 1950s.

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