16. View over Demir Hisar [cca. 1912]

1882, Frolosh - 1960, Sofia

Estimate

EUR 1.200 - 1.800

Sold

EUR 2.500

Session

Mon, 11 December 2023 19:00

Vladimir Dimitrov-Maistora grew up in the village of Florosh until he was 7 years old, and in 1889 he and his family settled in the town of Kyustendil, where today is the gallery with the same name, in honor of the Master. It is interesting that Vladimir Dimitrov has been related to painting since his junior high school education, when due to poor financial opportunities he did different types of work, but in his spare time he created. While still very young, the artist painted portraits, landscapes and everyday scenes from the nearby Kyustendil villages. Even in 1903, at the insistence of local lawyers and judges, an exhibition of the Master's drawings was opened in the gymnasium of the Pedagogical School. In the same year, the artist entered the Painting School in Sofia as a part-time student and his teachers were Petko Klisurov, Zheko Spiridonov, Anton Mitov, as well as Ivan Mrkvichka. During his studies, he visited cities such as Odessa, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Constantinople and Venice. Travels help the Master to become closely acquainted with the art of various artists, as well as to form personal impressions of the cities. Despite his many travels, Vladimir Dimitrov has been building his personal distinctive creative style, which is deeply connected and inspired by his homeland. In his works, mainly ink drawings and watercolors from his period as a military artist, a different image of the artist Vladimir Dimitrov-Maistora is revealed to the viewer. During the Balkan War (1912 - 1913), a large number of Bulgarian artists were also at the front: "...not so much mobilized as volunteers (...), they were ordinary privates (...)". Vladimir Dimitrov-Maistora also volunteered as an artist to the headquarters of the Seventh Rila Division. The personality of the Master, his love for man, for nature and the Bulgarian, which are characteristic features of his work, do not give up their place even in his drawings and watercolors from the period. The main impressions of the places he visits and the accompanying events are drawn by the artist with ink or pencil on paper. His artworks from the front are a kind of archive of the war. It depicts the soldiers in various states - from resting in the camp, on duty, from the most ordinary activities to difficult moments of wounded or fallen men in battle. As for the landscapes that the Master paints with ink or watercolor, they present another view of the military environment. They are frozen mountain views and cityes that are like the necessary counterpoint to the harrowing events taking place. "as much as an artwork from the war can, some landscape express a whiff of tranquility; it is somehow a strange, stolen, sealed piece of the day of peace and imbued with a special expectation." The ink drawing which is presented here is from Demir Hisar (Valovishta, now Siderokastro in Greece) in the region of Central Macedonia, which is 12 kilometers from the border checkpoint Kulata - Promakhon (Dragotin), in the direction of Thessaloniki. The work was painted around October 12, 1912, judging by the dating of another work by the Master from the period in Demir Hisar, which is also the fourth day since the beginning of the Balkan War. The Master has yet to witness more violent military action. (A.M.)

Dimensions

width 26 cm, height 15 cm

Description

ink on paper, located bottom right, in ink, "Демир Хисаръ"

Research information

The artwork participated in the exhibition "The war! And the world went crazy..." 110 years since the declaration of the Balkan war and 140 years since the birth of Vladimir Dimitrov - Master, Sofia City Gallery, 2022, with the title "Demir Hisar", and it is reproduced in the exhibition catalog at page 119

Dating

cca. 1912

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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