The fountain with mosaics in front of the National Palace of Culture by Ivan Radev and architect Atanas Agura, 1981
The fountain with mosaics is part of the architectural theme of the park in front of the National Palace of Culture. It is the culmination of a series of fountains leading to the imposing main building. The theme of the mosaics relates to their surrounding space so they are an intrinsic part of the fountain sculpture.
The absence of actual figures and clearly defined shapes and themes in the design allows the creators more artistic freedom than they would have had otherwise. The content and messages of any work of art would have been subject to the guidelines and regulations imposed by the communist party.
The shape of the fountain space is a polygon, which stands out when observed from above. From this perspective, the eye is naturally drawn to the fountain itself while the mosaics serve as a background. The mosaic makes an impression only when observed from eye level. The material of the tesserae (natural stone) fits perfectly with the rest of the decoration. The abstract stone composition is executed in a single muted color palette, once again allowing the viewer’s attention to shift to the shiny metal spheres of the fountain.
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