Folklore Imagery in the Art of the Bulgarian Symbolism. Typology and Visual Characteristics

Authors:

Pages: 180-198
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54664/GQRB8283

Abstract:

Bulgarian fine arts from the first three decades of the 20th century have an extremely diverse character. With the appearance of different styles on the Bulgarian art scene, artists have often been wandering between the national idea and foreign art. On the one hand, the Bulgarian artists, who had studied abroad and felt the true nature of symbolist art, wanted to speak in its universal language of the themes, but on the other hand, they wanted to emphasize their native and cultural affiliation which distinguishes them from the other nations. A significant part of the artists participating in the Native Art movement recognized symbolism as an appropriate artistic language for the visualization of Bulgarian folk songs and myths. With the establishment of the Native Art artistic society in 1919, a new chapter in the country’s cultural life began. It gave a safe haven to many different creative personalities, all of whom united by the main motive of searching for characteristics of the “native.“ Paintings of nymphs, mermaids, dragons, vampires, monsters, witches, and other images from the folklore tradition began to appear more and more often on the walls of art galleries. The Bulgarian artist became more interested in the authentic folklore of his/her nation as a true source of inspiration. This article aims to examine various source materials (songs, legends, fairy tales) and to systematize and present the main mythological creatures from Bulgarian folklore, which finds its visual form in the works of Bulgarian artists from the first three decades of the 20th century.

Keywords:

Bulgarian fine arts; national idea; symbolist art; native art; folklore; songs and myths.

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