24. The Market in Kotel [1932]

Dimo Nikolov was born in the city of Aytos on March 2, 1898. In 1921, he enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. After graduating, he remained to live in the Czech Republic. He presented a solo exhibition in Prague in 1929, and later in a number of Czech cities. His work is highly valued in the Czech Republic and his artworks are part of state and private collections. Throughout his life, the artist remained closely associated with Bulgaria. He displayed his works in Aytos, Burgas, Plovdiv. The artist died in 1984 in Sofia. Dimo Nikolov is mainly known for his mountain and sea landscapes. "The Market in Kotel” is a genre composition that largely represents the painting talent of Dimo Nikolov. It depicts a market scene in Kotel, where a woman is buying a white rooster from an elderly man. The moment when the woman is placing the coin in the hand of the seller is caught. She is situated on the right side of the canvas, almost with her back to us. The woman is young, tanned, with long black braids under her blue scarf. She is dressed in a bright red blouse and a checkered apron. The man is older, white-bearded with a mustache, wearing a white turban with orange stripes. He is dressed in a gray shirt, brown pants, and a wide belt in golden ochre. He is holding a white rooster with a black tail under his arm. There's a cinematic quality to the composition in the close framing of the figures, the capturing of the exact moment of the transaction, and the bright illumination in which the colors glow. The bright clothes of the woman, the swarthy skin tone of the characters, and the characteristic typecast lend an exotic character to the composition. In the background, you can see a square with a fountain, where a woman is pouring water. You can see the Revival houses of Kotel and the white pavement, bathed in the midday sunlight. (S.N.)

Dimensions

width 105 cm, height 92.5 cm, custom 92,5 × 105 cm

Description

oil paints on canvas, Signed and dated top right, in black, "D. Nikolov, (19)32"

Lot.notes

Titled on the back, with pencil, "Na trhu v Kotelu, Balharsku"

Dating

1932

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