94. The Tower [1920s]

Ivan Penkov is one of the most prominent representatives of Bulgarian painting, set design and stained glass in the first half of the 20th century. He was born in Kazanlak on April 30, 1897, raised in the family of the photographer Georgi Penkov and the teacher-actress Maria Vladeva. Growing up in this artistic environment, the young Penkov developed his interests in fine arts and particularly in the theater scene. His creative pursuits bring him closer to his fellow townspeople artists Dechko Uzunov and Ivan Milev, with whom he later prepared set designs in the National Theater and in the "Theatre Studio" in Sofia. Between 1919 - 1921 he studied in the general department at the State Art-Industrial School in Sofia, and in 1922 he left to study at the Munich Art Academy with Prof. Max Mayershofer until 1924. The years spent in Germany introduced the young artist to the resounding European currents of expressionism and secession. Upon his return in the same year to Bulgaria, Penkov lined up his first solo exhibition, in which his decorative inclinations, born from the German secession, as well as the theatrical aesthetics for which his set design is known, were apparent. These elements, combined with the symbols and plasticity of Bulgarian visual culture, position the artist not only as one of the brightest representatives of the "Native Art" movement, but also alongside Ivan Milev, as one of the most European and innovative artists in Bulgarian art at the beginning of the 20th century. His work "The Tower" from the 1920s clearly shows Penkov's scenery and decorative capabilities, presenting him also as an exceptionally European artist, a graduate of the German expressive schools. In it, we see the erection of a monolithic and dark tower among a provincial landscape littered with hills and heaps of hay. Dwarfed by the grandiose surroundings, a human figure makes its way towards the dark and large structure. The atmosphere is tense and emotional, and the megalithic tower pierces the red-white clouds, rising to the heavens. The deep and symbolic plot presents Penkov as an exceptionally innovative artist. The theatrical-decorative elements combined with European expressiveness place the Kazanlak artist shoulder to shoulder with artists like Ivan Milev as some of the most important and creative artists in the 1920s - one of the key periods for the establishment and construction of Bulgarian visual culture. (M.Z.)

References

Krastev, Kiril, "Ivan Penkov 1897-1957", 1958, Sofia: Bulgarian Artist Publishing House

Dimensions

width 49.5 cm, height 39 cm, custom 39 × 49,5 cm

Description

oil paints on canvas, Signed at the bottom right, in orange, "I. Penkov"

Research information

Participated in the exhibition "Europe in Bulgaria. Reflections of European Artistic Directions in Bulgarian Art from the Liberation to the Mid-20th Century" in the UBA Gallery, during the period 17 October 2024 - 16 February 2025. The artwork is reproduced in the eponymous catalog of the exhibition in the UBA Gallery, Domozetski, Lyuben, 2025, Sofia, p. 239.

Dating

1920s

PROVENANCE

Purchased from the artist's heirs in 2005.

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