The paintings of Vladimir Dimitrov-Maystora (the Master) go through the lives of Bulgarians as a childhood memory or an unforgettable school lesson in patriotism. He is perhaps the most well-known Bulgarian painter who leaves a strong impression and shows the colours of Bulgaria. Vladimir Dimitrov-Maystora continues to stir the viewers’ imagination to this day as the innovative approach of the 28-year-old graphic designer Tsvetomil Ivanov from Sofia only comes to prove this.

Tsvetomil offers a new multimedia product called “The Art of the Master”. Owing to the means of computer animation, figures having emerged under the painter’s brush come to life. Characters leave the paintings’ frames with ease and even smile mysteriously. Some take a breath, others are lightly blown by the wind. All this comes out of Tsvetomil’s imagination and is achieved by a simple intervention on the digital copies of eight of Vladimir Dimitrov’s paintings. Apart from this, in his personal style presentation, Tsvetomil Ivanov has united the paintings with a text in Bulgarian and English.

The story directs the viewer’s attention to life and nature, which are always presented together in perfect harmony in The Master’s paintings. To illustrate this, Tsvetomil added a memory which frequently appears as a painting in the work of the celebrated Bulgarian painter:

“It took place during harvesting,” Tsvetomil explains. “Little Vladimir and his father were hurrying through the field, under the deafening thunders of overhanging darkly clouds, foretelling a big storm. At that time the future painter saw somewhere far away in the field a female figure dressed in white, who kept on reaping despite the heavy drops of rain and the approaching tempest. This image has remained in his mind as something surreal and divine. Years later he creates his cycle of works dedicated to the harvesting season. Apropos, the faces of the people who were models for the Master’s painting are also extraordinary - simultaneously beautiful and full of kindness and joy.”

For Tsvetomil Ivanov, digitizing paintings of the eminent Bulgarian painter is a possibility to run away from the confines of the Covid-19 pandemic and also a way to get closer to the artwork of this influential figure. “Among the works that I have animated are a self-portrait of his, a portrait of his mother and a painting from the cycle “Wedding”, where he depicts the ritual of kissing a hand.”

“One of the things that motivated me to create this animation was a lack of books and materials about the painters’s persona and work. After visiting the gallery where his paintings are exhibited, I wanted to buy some literature about him, but unfortunately, I could not find any. A similar problem exists also with information about other prominent Bulgarian painters. For this reason, I will keep on making such video animations of artwork of other painters, as well.”

English version Boris Totchev