An exquisite exhibition is on display until December 15 in the Union of Bulgarian Artists in Sofia. It is an exhibition of stained glass art. Actually this is the first exhibition in Bulgaria dedicated to the history and the modern achievements in this type of art. Here is what Venera Konstantinova from the Union of Bulgarian Artists told us about the exhibition.

“The idea for organizing this exhibition came from artist Yurii Vasilev, who is a member of the Monumental Art section of the Union and his manager Iskra Pavlova. They established  Bulgarian Art Glass foundation and own the Vitra Gallery in Sofia. This exhibition opened there in September 2014 to a great success because this is the first exhibition of stained glass art in Bulgaria. Nothing like this had been done before.”

Organisers decided to accompany the exhibition with children’s workshop, where they can paint and create stained glass compositions.

“The exhibition has already been to the cities of Varna, Turnovo, Sliven and Stara Zagora and has been very successful so far. Some 1000 children have already visited the exhibition, which is important for their education. Actually one of the goals of the exhibition is showing quality art in order for Bulgarians to learn to distinguish between quality art and kitsch that can often be seen on the Bulgarian market these days.”

An important goal of the exhibition is showing the art of stained glass in administrative buildings. The exhibition includes color photos of works by famous artists such as Dechko Uzunov, Haralampy Tachev, Ivan Penkov, Nicola Bukov and others. So viewers can see what is inside some of the famous Bulgarian buildings that are not open daily to the public.

The current exhibition called "Bulgarian stained glass – the comeback" is rich. About 30 artists present their works in it. 5 of them are young debutants. I think the exhibition has had great success because stained glass is extremely emotional. There is no person in the world who could remain indifferent towards stained glass art. This is due to the extraordinary power of color in contact with light, which is fascinating to our senses. This is the end of exhibition, so we called it "The Comeback" Venera Konstantinova says. She is especially glad that on the eve of the exhibition one of the organizers of the project - Iskra Pavlova received the award of Varna journalists writing about culture.

"Stained glass is not only art, it is not only a material,” art critic Philip Zidarov says. “It lets light through but also reflects it and radiates it. That is why a man who is lucky to be inside those Gothic cathedrals, sees the stained glass windows as doors to the realms of heaven, to eternity, to the afterlife. In combination with the music of Handel and Bach, or the works of Michelangelo, one receives the opportunity to feel this amazing thing called "eternity of art and of the soul."

English: Alexander Markov