138. Stormy sea [c. 1955]

Georgi Velchev is one of the great marine painters in Bulgarian art from the first half of the 20th century. His life was very dynamic and interesting. He was born on November 18, 1891 in Varna. His father Atanas Velchev, originally from Zheravna, opened the first bookstore in Varna. In 1910, Georgi Velchev was admitted to the State Art and Industrial School in Sofia (later the Academy of Arts), but during the First World War he was sent to the front and ended up in a prisoner of war camp in France. The war postponed his graduation until 1920. At the Academy he studied with the distinguished professors Ivan Mrkvichka and Stefan Ivanov. He became interested in symbolism and secession. In the same year he went to Paris, where, according to reports, he specialized in painting until 1922 under Pierre Bonnard and came under the influence of the Nabis – Maurice Denis, Felix Vallotton, Aristide Maillol and others. In 1923 he went to Germany – Munich, Berlin and Bremen. He presented successful solo exhibitions in Karlsruhe and Wiesbaden. At that moment Georgi Velchev was a European artist who was highly appreciated by his contemporaries. He stayed briefly in Italy, where he was inspired by the masterpieces of world art. In 1924, the tireless traveler Georgi Velchev went to New York, where he lived until 1931. He visited Miami, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Canada, Hawaii. In the USA, he presented eight solo exhibitions, but the economic crisis forced him to return to Bulgaria. On the way home, he visited Australia and China. Arriving in Europe, he managed to present solo exhibitions in London and Paris. On the ship he was traveling to Europe, two suitcases with his works disappeared, but the works from France and Germany were preserved in Bulgaria. After returning to Bulgaria, Georgi Velchev lived and worked in his hometown of Varna. He traveled to Zheravna, Teteven and painted small Bulgarian towns, like many artists in the 1930s. The seascape occupies a central place in his mature work. He knows the sea, loves it and studies it. Seascapes bring drama and symbolic impact. The painting “Sailboat in a Stormy Sea” is extremely characteristic of Georgi Velchev’s work. It presents the best features of his mature work – a classic seascape in a dramatic moment of a midnight storm. The small boat with white sails boldly cuts into the stormy waves. Heavy storm clouds hang over it. The moonlight reflects on the crests of the waves. But light is visible on the horizon. The battle of the small white sailboat with the sea element is touching. The strong contrasts, the dramatic state of nature, the implied history are the elements that give the work a strong emotional impact. The works of Georgi Velchev are rare for collectors. The main part of the works created in France and Germany were donated, together with his native house, to the Art Gallery - Varna. After 1961 it was turned into a museum presenting his work. In a similar style is the painting "Sunset at Cape St. Galina, 1936, oil on canvas, 107/90 cm, Georgi Velchev Art Museum, Varna. (S.N.)

References

Serafimov, Rumen. Georgi Velchev – Artist of the Sea. Varna Regional Museum of History.

Dimensions

width 59 cm, height 46.5 cm, custom 46,5 × 59 cm

Description

oil on plywood

Research information

The artwork was included in the exhibition “Georgi Velchev” at the Boris Georgiev Art Gallery, Varna in 2016 and is reproduced in the catalogue to the exhibition, ed.: Boris Georgiev Art Gallery, Varna, 2016, p. 43, under the title “Boat in a Stormy Sea”, dated c. 1955.

Dating

c. 1955

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