Fund of City Art Gallery Plovdiv
There are a total of 10 sculptural works by Viktor Todorov in the collection of Plovdiv City Art Gallery. Here we present the first four, see the rest in the next chapter. We thank the City Art Gallery Plovdiv for the information provided.
Regardless of the missing dates of the works, their presence is proof of the already emerging sculptural style and character of Viktor Todorov.
Mother
Plaster, applied patina. 124/34/30 cm. Year of creation – unknown.
A figure in the characteristic monumental style of Viktor Todorov. The theme of the mother with a child passes as a continuous line through the entire work of the author. He always returns to her, regardless of the specific assignment. The harshness of the mother’s expression suggests a lack of emotion and confidence. The importance of maternal duty and the vast spectrum of care, love and sacrifice never cease to excite the artist.
Angel Voivoda
Plaster, applied patina. 54/24/35 cm. Year of creation – unknown.
The almost mythical fame of the protector of the Rhodopes, Angel Voivoda, inspired Viktor Todorov to create this sculptural portrait from his imagination. The general expression and grace of the features create a feeling of nobility and magnanimity. The harshness of the expression and the coldness of the gaze reinforce the worship of the hero’s strength.
Composition
Plaster, applied patina. 118/54/52 cm. Year of creation – unknown.
A full size proportional figure, strongly reminiscent of the “Angel Voivodа” era in terms of clothing and style. Imposing monumental proportions and a gaze fixed into the distance, as if the hero is looking from the height of some elevation.. The modeling is more and more characteristic of the expressive sculptural style of Viktor Todorov, which combined the cubist approach of Dalchev and the expressiveness of Rodin.
Portrait of Ivan Spasov
Plaster, 35/45/34 cm. Year of creation – unknown.
A very famous portrait of the composer Ivan Spasov, exhibited at a regional exhibition during the period of the late 1960s, early 1970s. I remember that my father worked on this head live during a session in Markovo. Ivan Spasov had come to the studio and my father very quickly sketched him directly in clay.
Viktor Todorov and Ivan Spasov were friends and had common views on art and life. Ivan Spasov had a work space on “11th August” street – we often went there, climbed the wooden stairs to the second floor. They talked and drank coffee, and my father made quick sketches of Ivan Spasov on small pieces of paper (bills from cafes, etc.). I remember that when he finished the portrait and cast it in plaster, he didn’t have time to apply patina and he woke me up very early the next day to help him finish. On the same day was the deadline for presenting the work to the committee for the regional exhibition.
It is very gratifying that this head is preserved in the Plovdiv City Art Gallery, because it successfully depicts Ivan Spasov at an earlier age.
Six more sculptures by Viktor Todorov from the collection of the City Art Gallery Plovdiv.
The opportunities that artists and young authors have received at this historical moment in Bulgaria were fundamental for their future development. Work was done under normal conditions, intensively, the right to creative expression was given. The numerous regional and national exhibitions, as well as the so-called “contracts” (prepaid participation in a certain exhibition) gave authors financial security and peace of mind.
Portrait of Zlatyu Boyadzhiev
Plaster, applied patina, 76/27/35 cm. Year of creation: unknown
This is one of the many portraits Viktor made of various famous people over the years. His fame as one of the best portrait sculptors is not accidental.
Those numerous meetings with Zlatyu Boyadzhiev, both in the artistic life of the city and as friends, reflected in the highly developed visual memory of Viktor Todorov. The portrait recreates the characteristic state of Zlatyu Boyadzhiev from this period. The expressiveness of the appearance and the plastic values suggest that the work was done in one breath, like in an attempt to seal the memory of a particular face instantly.
This is not the only portrait of Zlatyu Boyadzhiev by Viktor Todorov. A similar one, but in bronze, is in the collection of the National Gallery in Sofia. The second portrait is from a later period, see it in the 1970s section.
Composition
Plaster, applied patina, 120/40/36 cm. Year of creation: unknown.
A female figure in complex movement, radiating both confinement and absorption. The bag slung over the shoulder, the hands of a working woman – an expressive portrait of the everyday busy working class life.
Woman from Thracia
Vratsa limestone, carved, 76/50/38 cm. Year of creation: unknown.
The image of a woman with a headscarf is strongly represented in Viktor Todorov’s art, it excites the author almost throughout his entire life. Here the movement of the head is barely perceptible, the face expression is chaste. The balanced lines inspire respect and integrity. The smoothness of the face sharply contrasts with the rough surface of the cloth and garment.
I remember that the plaster copy of this sculpture stood in a corner of my father’s studio in Markovo. It was patinated in a rust color with a pink tint. Later it disappeared. I even remember that my father had started sculpting it again in a greenish stone, but that copy also had disappeared. It is gratifying that this version in limestone has been preserved for the generations in the City Art Gallery Plovdiv.
The unknown
Plaster with patina, badly damaged. Year of creation: unknown.
A work from the 60s period, strongly associated with the national liberation struggles. The painful effort of the last rising figure, which crawls as if from the darkness, deprives the viewer of any shred of hope. The almost physical suggestion of doom oozes from every detail of the sculpture. A frozen pantomime that focuses on the anonymity of the feat.
Fertility
Plaster, applied patina, 91/30/28 cm. Year of creation: unknown.
The figure exudes restraint, the gaze is focused on the distance. A characteristic state is captured, between fatigue and satisfaction, that creates calmness. The balance and softness of the forms radiate harmony and connection with nature.
Farewell
Tinted plaster, 90/33/57 cm.
The work was part of the fund of CAG Plovdiv, but it was written off in 1964. There is no other information and no photo.
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