Bulgarian Modernism and European art

The 1920s were a crucial period for the development of Bulgarian art and its aquaintance and discussion of modern Western art. Only a few decades earlier art in Bulgaria broke with the rules of orthodox icon painting in order to flourish in the worldy art and seek new forms of artistic expression during the 1920s.

Artistic styles from Western Europe like Academism and Art Nouveau have been popular in Bulgaria also before the 1920s. But it was only in this decade that the country lying on the periphery of the artistic map of Europe left the attitude of copying and adapting formal aspects of artistic novelties from Western Europe to their local necessities behind. Untill than the interest of Bulgarian artists and society in Western art aimed to erase the lost opportunities of the nation's artistic growth due to five centuries of Ottoman oppression.

Voices against realistic and impressionistic Academism rose during the 1920s. Bulgarian artists felt the need to create something new themselves. It was the young, rebellious generation of artists and intellectuals which had studied abroad that wanted to develope in Bulgaria the ideas and impressions collected in Western Europe and make an independent Bulgarian contribution to Europe's artistic achievements.

Bulgarian artists and art critics urged to create an art which was in its essence Bulgarian and at the same time would integrate itself into the international context of modern art.

Bulgarian art critics from the journal "Vezni" believed that any art took its origin in the soul of the artist. This conviction and demand of the critics was of great support to modern Bulgarian artists like Ivan Milev in gaining public recognition for their surch of new artistic expressions.

Bulgarian art critics opposed the dominating Academism and old fashioned understanding of art in society. However, they were well aware of the real conditions of Bulgarian art, considering five hundret years of Ottoman oppression. Therefore their insistance to break with old ideas did not refer primarily to the artistic form or style but to the content and attitude of the painter.

Older artists who had a more conservative understanding of art thought of creating a national, Bulgarian style of art by painting everyday life scenes of the people and folk traditions making use of realistic Academism. The modern artist instead saw national features of their art in the expression of the soul and ancient characteristics of the Bulgarian people without refering to a particular artistic style.

Bulgaria's social and political aim to strengthen the national self-esteem overlapped with these artistic and art critical discourses on a Bulgarian artistic style. At this point in history Bulgaria, just like most European countries, was facing social uproars and disasters. This gave artists and intellectuals the possibility to get to know the ordinary people and their life in a direct way. Artists began to explore folk art.

Art Nouveau as many artists got to know it in Austria and Germany during their studies, played an important role in breaking with the ideas of Academism and in searching for new artistic solutions for the expression of abstract contents during the 1920s. The eclecticism of the style characterized also the understanding of art of Bulgarian society during this period. The melting of different modern artistic elements reassured the public in being close to the art developments in the centre of Europe. To the artists instead this style gave the possibility for artistic experiments without being bound to art theoretical categories. Painters combined elements of Art Nouveau with those of Bulgarian folk art and icon paintings. This way they fostered Bulgarian cultural heritage and strengthened the self-esteem of the nation.

Looking at Bulgarian art and art criticism during the 1920s it has to be spoken of modern art. A small artistic and intellectual potential of Bulgaria collaborated in order to create something new. Unfortunately, the period of Bulgarian Modernism lasted very little. Although in these years modern artists established themselves as an opposition to the dominating followers of traditional art and its understanding time was not enough to make this Bulgarian Modernism rise in the centre of Europe.

Though short, this period was fundamental to the development of modern art in Bulgaria, for which the 1920s layed the path.

Rada Bieberstein