Contemporary Mosaics of Sofia

”St. Alexander Nevsky” Cathedral

Mosaic “Themis“ in Sofia Court House

Mosaics from The National Palace of Culture

Fountain with mosaics in front of the National Palace of Culture

Mosaics in Sofia Airport, “Terminal 1”

Central Railway Station, Mosaic with Sofia Coat of Arms

Mosaic on the central façade of the residence of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church

Faculty of Physics of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”

”St. Alexander Nevsky” Cathedral Mosaic “Themis“ in Sofia Court House Mosaics from The National Palace of Culture Fountain with mosaics in front of the National Palace of Culture Mosaics in Sofia Airport, “Terminal 1” Central Railway Station, Mosaic with Sofia Coat of Arms Mosaic on the central façade of the residence of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church Faculty of Physics of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”

Mosaics have a unique status in modern Bulgarian art as a monumental art form. It is not one of the more typical forms of art in Bulgaria either before or after Bulgaria’s Liberation from Ottoman rule in 1878. Its development over the course of modern Bulgarian history varies considerably by historical period.

The major periods for the development of mosaics in Bulgaria are from 1878 to 1944, 1944 to 1989, and 1989 to present day.

1878-1944

In the beginning of the 20^th century, mosaic art in Bulgaria was used mostly in church decoration and was not a popular art form otherwise. There are no examples of secular mosaics made between 1878 and the beginning of the 20^th century. Mosaics became more popular as a monumental art form in Bulgaria because of Western European influence.

The earliest 20^th century mosaics in Bulgaria closely resemble paintings with soft color transitions, light and shading effects, and the pursuit of visual depth. The drive to establish a national identity for a Bulgaria recently liberated from Ottoman rule had a strong influence on the arts at the time. Architects and artists turned to shapes and structures in medieval Bulgarian architecture, including ornamental styles. Building façades were decorated with brightly colored polychrome friezes, terracotta decorations, and, rarely, mosaic panels.

Although Bulgarian artists worked in a variety of artistic media, the mosaic had still not become popular in monumental wall decoration. This was partially due to a lack of state funding and the difficult financial situation after WWI but was also because of a lack of previous mosaic art traditions in Bulgaria. Due to socio-economic changes, the accumulation of wealth by some elements of society, and Austrian and German influences, wall paintings and mosaics gradually began appearing in interior spaces. The wealthy in particular started to commission mosaics, wall paintings, and ceramic panels for their homes and offices.

In the late 1920s, artistic life in Bulgaria had already begun to change, and by the 1930s, the government had invested heavily in the construction of large public buildings that needed decoration. Government commissions of mosaics made with expensive and high quality materials became the norm, and art turned into a means for the state to express its wealth and authority. Bulgarian mosaics from the 1930s were influenced by the German movement “Neue Sachlichkeit,” which saw a return of realism in art after the vagueness of impressionism. While mosaics of the 1920s were more graphic with clean lines and contrasting colors, those from the 1930s saw the appearance of figures and a wider color palette, partially due to their incorporation of a wider variety of materials. During the 1940s, mosaic decoration was predominantly found in private homes while state commissions were rare and mosaics were no longer utilized in church decoration.

Key artists responsible for mosaic art between 1878 and 1944 are Anton Mitov (1862-1930), Haralampi Tachev (1875-1941), Ivan Penkov (1897-1957), Dechko Uzunov (1899-1986), Ivan Kozhuharov (1934-1994), and Ivan Nenov (1902-1997).

1944-1989

The function of monumental art changed after a new political regime was established in 1944. The state no longer invested in expensive, long-lasting monumental decoration, and temporary decoration replaced wall painting. The period between the mid-1940s and 1950s boasts few examples of mosaic art, which did not return to Bulgarian art until the 1960s when it became a popular decorative technique.

Monumental wall art (mosaic and sgraffito) flourished during the ‘60s. Muted colors were typical, and mosaic themes were connected to Bulgarian history from the medieval, revival, and modern periods. Many mosaics were designed to convey to viewers the epic greatness of Bulgaria’s past. Some are very experimental in nature, but others struck a good balance between showing off their architectural settings and standing out on their own right. A new stage in the stylistic and thematic development of mosaic art began towards the end of the 1960s when artists started to depict contemporary events alongside historical ones.

One of the main characteristics of monumental art from the 1960s – 80s is the government’s monopoly over the process of its creation (its commission, design, and realization). This control entailed the creation of special administrative bodies within the Union of Bulgarian Artists (UBA) and the Creative fund of the UBA. The special state committee for decorative and monumental arts (active 1976-1992) became responsible for commissioning monumental works of art, approving project designs and execution, and approving final results and payments for the different creative stages. Several workshops were created and managed by the Creative fund of the UBA to carry out commissions for particular kinds of monumental and applied arts. These workshops include: the workshop for monumental art in Sofia, the biggest in the Balkans for monumental sculpture and plastic arts; the workshop for applied arts in Sofia; and the workshop for decorative monumental art in Plovdiv, for mosaics, sgraffito, metal and concrete plastic arts. An artistic council attached to the workshop for decorative monumental art in Plovdiv oversaw and evaluated the realization of monumental art pieces across the city. Meeting minutes are the main sources of information for the activities of the council and the state committee for decorative and monumental arts; these minutes can be accessed in the Central State Archives in Sofia and are echoed in the testimonies of people who participated in the meetings themselves. Between 1980 and 1989, Dechko Dechev was the leading artist and chairman of the artistic council as well as the director of the workshop for decorative monumental art in Plovdiv. The workshop for decorative monumental art in Plovdiv, which was restructured and renamed “Art Center” Ltd. as part of the creative Fund of the UBA, had facilities and a wide range of raw materials and supplies for the creation of mosaics. Almost all mosaics created during between 1980 and 1989 utilized these resources.

The separation of the design and execution processes was most characteristic of this period. Most of the artists who created monumental mosaics limited their participation in the process to delivering the artistic design in scale and/or to making а cardboard model in scale 1:1. The actual installation of the mosaics was carried out mainly by workshop contractors, who were trained to create tesserae from stone material and then assemble the mosaics under the supervision of the artist who created the project design. Few artists carried out their projects themselves.

author: Raina Decheva-Uchkunova

This trend continued into the 1970s when mosaics became more complex in composition and expression. Mosaics commissioned for newly constructed buildings spanned large interior and exterior surfaces. The practice of covering entire walls with mosaics became popular and stemmed from the desire for a wall’s decoration to extend out from its architectural setting. Mosaics were made according to various scales and were often laid on several levels in interior spaces. Compositions also became more complex, sometimes becoming overcrowded with figures and patterns. The first truly abstract motifs appeared during the ‘70s. Mosaic techniques and materials, as well as the architectural spaces that made possible the creation of abstract monumental images, also fit the totalitarian aesthetics of Bulgaria’s socialist period.

The 1980s are a complicated and multifaceted period for mosaics and Bulgarian art in general. Processes that started near the end of the 1970s fully developed in the ‘80s. This is the decade in which most major architectural monuments were built in Bulgaria. Among these are the Pleven panorama (1978), the monument dedicated to the 1300th Anniversary of the Bulgarian State in Shumen (1981), the memorial house of the Bulgarian communist party on Buzludzha peak (1976-1981), the National palace of culture (1981), and other festival and city centers. All these newly built monuments naturally raised the demand for decorative art. Mosaics were well-suited to the ostentatious, bright color esthetic popular at the time and became the norm for interior and exterior decorative accents. Mixed media art became ever more popular, as did the inclusion of sculptural elements in wall decoration, which allowed for greater experimentation. The compositions included more and more layers of images and patterns.

The major artists who designed mosaics from the end of the 1960s until 1989 are Mito Ganovski (1925-2022), Dimo Zaimov (1930-2016), Ilia Iliev (1931), Iordan Markov, Ioan Leviev (1934-1994), Dimitar Kirov (1935-2008), Hristo Stefanov (1931-2013), Atanas Yaranov (1940-1988), Iordan Spirov (1944-2013), Ivan Kirkov (1932-2010), Alexander Terziev (1953), Toma Vurbanov (1943), Stoyan Koyumdzhiev (1944), Ivan Kozhuharov, Grigor Spiridonov (1930-2000), Georgi Trifonov (1947-2013), Valchan Petrov (1947), Nikola Shamanov (1942), Rujko Chelebiev (1948), and Bozhidar Ionov (1942).

After 1989

With the fall of Bulgaria’s socialist regime in 1989, mosaics experienced a period of decline as a monumental art. The country’s political and economic transition in the following years affected the processes for creating mosaics as well. Many artists continued to design mosaics but for churches, universities, offices, and homes. Once again, mosaics were predominantly commissioned by the private sector because the government could not afford expensive decoration.

Famous artists who have continued to work in the mosaic medium since 1989 are Dimo Zaimov (1930-2016), Ilia Iliev (1931), Iordan Markov, Dimitar Kirov (1935-2008), Valchan Petrov (1947), Nikola Shamanov (1942), Rujko Chelebiev (1948), and Nikolai Dubarov (1955). Some new artists have emerged as well, such as Oleg Gochev (1954), Zdravko Kamenarov (1967), Monika Popova (1968), Nikolai Panayotov (1956), Strahil Nenov (1960), and Sasho Rangelov (1951). Such artists’ work has expanded the boundaries of mosaic art and continues to inspire the medium’s dynamic development into the new millennium.

Bulgarian mosaic art from the 21^st century is not created in isolation from socio-economic developments and events in the outside world. Some mosaics represent well the diversity of modern life through the use of mixed media, materials, techniques, and motifs. As a technique with its own specific appearance determined by technological, socio-political, and aesthetic factors, mosaic art stands to offer many opportunities for reflecting on modern life, and by better understanding the medium, we may be surprised by the answers it proffers.