108C. Portrait of a noble man [1879]
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108C. Portrait of a noble man [1879]
1847, Gabrovo - 1883, Gabrovo
Estimate:
EUR 1.200 - 1.800
Sold
EUR 8.000
References
Dinova-Ruseva, Vera, "Hristo Tsokev", Bulgarian artist, Sofia, 1973
oil on canvas, 72 x 52 cm, signed and dated on the right side, in red, „живописецъ Хр. Ив. Цокевъ, 1879 юни 15“
Hristo Tsokev is one of the first secular painters from the period of the Bulgarian Renaissance with a completed specialized education in the field of fine arts. Born in 1847 in the city of Gabrovo, he grew up in a family with traditions in the craft. From an early age, he showed a talent for painting, after a stay in Sveta Gora and the Hilendar monastery, where he helped icon painters who noticed his talents.
In the 1860s Hristo Tsokev went to Russia, where he received an art education at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. There he learned the techniques of academic painting and enriched his style with elements of Western European art.
After his return to Bulgaria after 1873, Tsokev established himself as one of the leading artists of the era. His work focuses on portraits, icons and frescoes, and he manages to combine the traditional Orthodox canons of the time with modern artistic influences. His works are distinguished by carefully crafted details, expressiveness of faces and depth of emotional impact.
Little is known about the identity of the man portrayed by Tsokev in the painting "Portrait of a Revivalist" from 1897. On the canvas itself are the words: "Ivan Dushkov, native Bulgarian from Bulgaria". Judging by his clothing and well-groomed appearance, it can be concluded that this was a wealthy merchant from the end of the 19th century. Among a large number of those portrayed by Tsokev were people from the aristocracy of Bulgarian society of that period, and it is not excluded that Ivan Dushkov was also from these circles.
Hristo Tsokev occupies a very important part in the development of Bulgarian painting, as he is one of the earliest representatives of the professional and academic handwriting of Western European influences on our lands. Tsokev can be taken as a kind of symbol of the revival spirit, the aspiration for cultural renewal in Bulgaria and the development of Bulgarian art in the 19th century. (M.Z.)
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