Woman 

Mana Parpulova made this ink drawing, titled 'Woman', sometime in the middle of the twentieth century. It is a strikingly graphic portrait, and with a close look, one can see that the woman’s features are rendered in bold lines, with minimal shading. The flower and headscarf add detail, while the ruff collar adds a touch of formality to the image. The work was created during a time when Bulgarian art was influenced by both socialist realism and modernist trends. The simplified forms and strong contrasts in the image could be seen as a reflection of the modernist movement's emphasis on abstraction, yet the image does not break from figuration. In Bulgaria at this time, artists worked within a system of state patronage, but they also were subtly challenging the norms through experimentation. The artwork invites us to consider the public role of art, the politics of imagery, and the social conditions that shape artistic production. These questions can be answered only through attention to the archives that document art and cultural history in Bulgaria.