Until September 12, the National Art Gallery in Sofia presents a major exhibition of the great Bulgarian marine artist Alexander Mutafov /1879-1957/. Sea as a living being - calm and stormy, a source of emotion - for decades the artist paid respect with his work to its strength and beauty. Born a year after the Liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule, he had the chance to develop in a turbulent but fruitful period for Bulgaria. He studied in famous Albertina Academy in Turin and the Munich Academy.

"He went through various periods - from his passion for symbolism in his early youth, then, under the influence of his close friend and artist Nikola Petrov, to Impressionism,” art historian Dorothea Sokolova told Radio Bulgaria. “They both influenced each other, and helped in diversifying techniques. The works of Mutafov from this period are very lyrical and beautiful. They are not so well preserved but a few of them are presented in this exhibition. This joyful period ended after the wars. Mutafov was a volunteer during the Balkan war of 1912-1913. During the First World War he was mobilized as a war artist."

From the time of the global conflict hundreds of Mutafov’s watercolors and drawings are preserved. Works from this period can also be seen in the exhibition.

"He later devoted himself entirely to marine art so that he became the foremost Bulgarian marine artist. Art critic Nicola Mavrodinov calls him ‘the father of all Bulgarian marine artists’. In the early 20s Mutafov already had a clear idea of the marine art he wanted to shape and later developed only in this direction.”

The artist fell in love with the old town of Sozopol. He constantly drew fishermen and the old houses of the seaside town. Mutafov also worked near Galata and the Emine Cape but it was Sozopol that mostly excited his imagination. In 1937 he managed to build a house in the town. It was also his studio, preserved to this day, and functioning now as a museum. What is the place of Mutafov in world marine art?

"He has a very independent place. When Mutafov was once asked who influenced him in marine art, he answered he learned from nobody. There are some links with Russian master Aivazovsky, but actually Mutafov saw his works much later in his life. He is a graduate of Italian and German academies and had no contact with Aivazovsky‘s work. It happened later in the 50s. Mutafov is also a different type of painter, although his later works are defined as realism. "

The artist was also tempted by abstraction - in the 30s, but he remained true to his love of the Black Sea. Not surprisingly, he was a member of the Bulgarian National Marine Union, established in 1920 by naval officers. The aim of the organization was to promote the rich water resources of Bulgaria and the sea in the name of national prosperity. The artist made the illustrations to all of the articles published by the organization.

The current exhibition collects over 200 of Mutafov’s works. However, his famous "Blue Boat" which won a medal at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1937 is not on display. Dorothea Sokolova knows that it is in a private collection, but continues to look for its owner, who remains unknown.

"Mutafov is a remarkable artist who used to say he was just an ordinary marine painter. He stood above all vanity,” Dorothea Sokolova says in conclusion.

English: Alexander Markov
Photos: National Art Gallery