Established painters pay tribute to their professor, emblematic Andrey Daniel
Since ancient times, the arts have been passed down from teacher to student – an established line of professionals who learned composition, themes and techniques from their elders, developed their own styles, made their own discoveries and then passed on their experience to the young. This practice nurtured traditions, spawned schools, inspired change and spawned new art forms.
An exciting exhibition, Thinking in Materials, at the Sofia Press Gallery, explores the idea of continuity through the influence of a master painter over a group of students he trained in the early 2000s.
See You Next Time, by Desislava Kostadinova
The teacher is one of Bulgaria's most emblematic and celebrated painters, Andrey Daniel (1952-2020). Daniel blended the realist, the dreamlike and the surrealist in meditative, melancholy and vibrant landscapes, portraits and mindscapes. In his broad brushstrokes he captured the bright light of the South of France, the contemplation of people listening to the radio or watching a semi-real landscape through their open windows, and the eternal drama of a village funeral.
Andrey Daniel, photography by Ivo Hadzhimishev
The students – Galya Georgieva, Desislava Kostadinova, Ekaterina Radenkova, Eleonora Drumeva and Minko Yovchev – graduated from Daniel's class at the Sofia Art Academy in 2010. In the 15 years since, they have gone on to successful careers. Now, in Thinking in Materials, they have reinterpreted their teacher's legacy in a series of paintings that explore some of his favourite topics. The title of the exhibition is taken from Daniel's favourite piece of advice to his students: "Think in material". It is a simple idea that generations of artists have learned from practice – to make real art, you have to master all the materials of art – the paints, the canvas, the brushes, everything. Only when you know their capabilities, limitations and resistances can you transfer your ideas from your mind to the canvas, exploring and creating new visual and mental worlds.
Landscape of a Human, by Eleonora Drumeva
The result of this exercise is a series of vibrant, mesmerising paintings that evoke Daniel's spirit, play with it and are charged with his creative energy – a genuine, touching tribute to his legacy.
When: until 11 April 2025
Where: Sofia Press Gallery, Sofia, 29 Slavyanska St
People Playing, by Minko Yovchev
I Am Not Cultured, by Eleonora Drumeva
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