Relic from Sozopol 1970

Editor: This is Vera Nedkova's "Relic from Sozopol," painted in 1970 with oil paint. It strikes me as quite a somber piece, almost melancholic. What do you see in this work? Curator: It’s fascinating how Nedkova captures Sozopol. Rather than a picturesque view, we get a sense of its layered history, perhaps its decay. Think about 1970 in Bulgaria – the height of socialist realism as the officially sanctioned style. An abstract cityscape like this is subtly resisting those strictures. Editor: That's interesting. I wouldn’t have picked up on that resistance immediately. The impasto gives it such texture; did that also play a role in the art politics of the time? Curator: Absolutely. The physicality of the paint, the visible brushstrokes, asserted the artist's hand and individual expression. Socialist Realism valued clarity and idealized depictions. This, with its muted tones and obscured forms, does something different. Consider how galleries at the time likely navigated showing such works, balancing artistic expression with state expectations. What’s ‘relic’ mean in this context, do you think? Editor: Perhaps it's about uncovering hidden narratives or forgotten spaces, instead of the grand narratives promoted by the state? Like she's rescuing a history that official accounts overlook. Curator: Precisely! This reading ties into the broader trend in Eastern European art where abstraction became a vehicle for expressing personal and cultural identity under oppressive regimes. We need to appreciate how that subtle pushback happened. Editor: I’m walking away with a new appreciation for what this seemingly simple cityscape communicates beyond just visual aesthetics. Thank you for that perspective. Curator: And I’m reminded of the importance of understanding historical context when viewing art, even seemingly apolitical abstraction. Thanks.