11. Sozopol [1945]

The painting "Sozopol" is characteristic of the style of Bencho Obreshkov from the period of the 1940s. The genre of still life, located in an interior space, is one of the most preferred by the artist. Throughout his creative career, he made still lifes in which he solved various plastic tasks, and the main objects in them were vases with flowers, fruits and fish. In the painting of the 1940s, some of the characteristic features of the 1930s are still valid, and more specifically the influence of expressionism and the new objectivity. In 1945, Bencho Obreshkov painted the remarkable work "Sozopol", executed entirely in the spirit of painting from the 1930s. The still life is placed on a table, in an interior space, and in the background you can see a landscape - the coast of Sozopol. The color is expressive and the brushwork is free and bold. The theme "Sozopol" is one of the main ones in the overall work of Bencho Obreshkov. A number of Bulgarian artists find inspiration in the authentic atmosphere of the town, such as Ivan Nenov, Mario Zhekov, Alexander Mutafov and others. On a white-blue tablecloth is a glass vase with flowers and a white elliptical fruit bowl of an irregular shape, in which a lemon is placed. The flowers are fresh and bright - probably roses in yellow and red tones. The transparent glass vase is in a characteristic Art Nouveau style in the shape of a tulip with a round seat. The same glass vase is also present in the work "Bells and Daffodils (Still Life with a Glass Vase)" from the collection of the writer Lada Galina, painted in 1948. The motif with the colorful curtain is particularly characteristic of the author's compositions. In the work "Sozopol", Bencho Obreshkov flanks the composition on the right with the open balcony door, and on the left with a white curtain of sparing pink ornaments. The curtain and the tablecloth merge into a common silver tone. They build a stage space immersed in white and brown tones. Through the open balcony, in the background, the calm sea is revealed, in which a single white sailboat floats. The tiled roofs of the Sozopol houses can be seen on the shore. The composition is built in a rich and noble harmony, and the overall effect is serene, calm and dreamy. (S.N.)

References

Domuschieva-Todorova, Z. The man and the artist Bencho Obreshkov. Memories. S. 2009. Ivanova, S., Bistra Rangelova. Bencho Obreshkov (1899-1970). National Gallery, Bozhkov, At. Bulgarian fine art. S., 1988 Krastev, K.. Bencho Obreshkov. S., 1982. Ivanov, B. Bencho Obreshkov. S., 1964 Mavrodinov, N. The new Bulgarian painting. S., 1947

Dimensions

width 28.5 cm, height 44 cm

Description

oil on cardboard, signed and dated bottom left, in black, "Б. Обрешков, 1945"

Dating

1945

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