50. View from Demir Hisar [1912]

Vladimir Dimitrov–The Master was taught by the artists Petko Klisurov, Zheko Spiridonov, Anton Mitov, and Ivan Mrkvicka. During his studies, he visited cities such as Odessa, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Constantinople, and Venice. These travels allowed The Master to experience the art of different artists firsthand, as well as to form personal impressions of the cities. Vladimir Dimitrov developed a distinctive artistic style, deeply connected to and inspired by his homeland. In his works—primarily ink drawings and watercolors from his period as a war artist—a different aspect of Vladimir Dimitrov–The Master is revealed to the viewer. During the Balkan Wars (1912–1913), many Bulgarian artists were also at the front: ‘…not so much mobilized as volunteers (…), they were ordinary privates (…).’ The Master also volunteered as an artist for the headquarters of the Seventh Rila Division. The personality of the artist, his love for people, nature, and Bulgarian culture—all characteristic features of his work—remain evident even in the drawings and watercolors from this period. His works from the front serve as a kind of archive of the war. He depicts soldiers in various states—from resting in camp, standing guard, performing everyday tasks, to the harrowing moments of the wounded or fallen in battle. As for the landscapes that The Master painted in ink or watercolor, they offer a different perspective on the military situation. They are frozen mountain views and localities, serving as a necessary counterpoint to the painful events taking place. ‘Even though some of the works from the war, primarily landscapes, carry a sense of calm, it is strange, stolen, capturing a fragment of peaceful day, filled with a peculiar anticipation.’ The presented ink drawing is from Demir Hisar (Valovishta, today Siderokastro in Greece) in the region of Central Macedonia, which is 12 kilometers from the border checkpoint Kulata–Promachon (Dragotin), in the direction of Thessaloniki. (A.M.)

References

Fileva, Adelina; Petrov, Plamen; Gologanova, Nikoleta. (2022). The War! And the World Went Mad. Publisher: SGHHA.

Dimensions

width 25 cm, height 15 cm, custom 15 × 25 cm

Description

туш върху хартия, signed bottom right, in ink, "Демиръ Хисаръ"; dated centrally, in ink, "26/X (1)912"

Research information

The work was included in the exhibition The War! And the World Went Mad… 110 Years Since the Outbreak of the Balkan War and 140 Years Since the Birth of Vladimir Dimitrov–The Master, SGHHA, 2022, under the title Demir Hisar. The work is reproduced in the eponymous exhibition catalogue, 2022, p. 117.

Dating

1912

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