98. By the monastery fountain [until 1928]

Tsanko Lavrenov is one of the most distinctive Bulgarian artists. He was self-taught, and despite an early awareness of his desire to pursue visual art, he did not manage to acquire systematic artistic education. During his visit to Vienna in 1921–22, he attended the private drawing school “St. Anna” and evening life-drawing classes at the Academy of Applied Arts. During his visit to Greece in 1935–36, he was deeply inspired by the monasteries of Mount Athos, which remained a significant theme in his work. Lavrenov is remembered in the history of Bulgarian art for his architectural landscapes, devoted to Bulgarian monasteries, Old Plovdiv, and some historical compositions. All these works are inspired by Bulgaria’s historical past and rich national tradition. Characteristic features of his style include the naïve construction of architecture—often viewed from a bird’s-eye perspective—the romantic atmosphere of Revival-era Plovdiv, a resonant color palette, and a distinctive scratching-on-black-ground technique. The composition By the Monastery Fountain, created before 1928, is connected to his monastic themes. It depicts a moment from the life of monks within the monastery courtyard. Two monks in traditional attire are conversing in front of the fountain, with the monastery’s architecture and wooden balcony railings visible behind them. The composition is rendered in a monochrome grey-ochre palette and has a sketch-like character. It was created two years after the watercolor Icon Painter (1926), which brought him recognition. Soon afterward, he painted landscapes of Old Plovdiv and the Rila Monastery. By the Monastery Fountain continues this thematic exploration. (S.N.)

Dimensions

width 21 cm, height 29.5 cm, custom 29,5 × 21 cm

Description

акварел и гваш върху картон, signed bottom left, in yellow, "Ц. Лавреновъ"

Research information

The painting is reproduced in Miteva, Janet, “Tsanko Lavrenov 1896–1978,” Tsanko Lavrenov Foundation, Trud Publishing House, Sofia, 2018, p. 500, no. 155, under the title In Front of the Monastery Fountain.

Dating

until 1928

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