Awaiting 1987

Georgi Kovachev’s painting ‘Awaiting’ is made with oil paint and a whole lot of blue. The colours are applied in loose, gestural strokes, where Kovachev lets the act of painting become visible. I love how the blue wash kind of seeps into everything, unifying the figures with the landscape in a really dreamy way. Take a look at the central figure of the woman holding a child, how the solid form almost dissolves into the ether, the two figures becoming one. It’s not about perfectly capturing a likeness, it’s more like tapping into the collective feelings of a moment. This focus on emotional expression reminds me of Paula Modersohn-Becker, especially the way she used colour to convey a sense of inner life. Both artists see painting as a way to make visible the invisible stuff of feelings. It’s a reminder that art isn’t about answers, it’s about exploring the questions and maybe finding a little peace in the ambiguity.