In the 1960s prominent Bulgarian artists arrived to the Old capital to create a modern art school. In 1963 Veliko Tarnovo University opened doors. It is built on “Sveta Gora” Hill (Holly Mountain), where in one of the monasteries Patriarch Euthymius founded the Tarnovo Literary School. The new university was named after St. St. Cyril and Methodius and was at that time opened with the idea to train pedagogues in various disciplines. Besides humanitarian subjects, it offered also programmes in fine arts.

“The figures who gave the start to the fine arts department of Veliko Tarnovo University are Prof. Nikola Kozhuharov, Prof. Vassil Stanilov, Prof. Vassil Zahariev as well as young assistant professors who had just graduated from Sofia’s Art Academy – Alexander Terziev, Nikola Gelov, Ivan Marinov, Spiridon Borissov and Nikola Hadjitanev. Some ten years later some of our alumnae remained at the university as tutors”, Associate Professor Boris Zhelev, Dean of the art department explains.

The fine arts department has trained throughout its half-a-century history more than three thousand artists – teachers in fine arts, heads of art galleries and curators, tutors at the National Art Academy and other universities. In present days it offers majors like Painting, Graphic arts, Sculpture, Wall painting, Drawing and Intermedia, and Graphic design and visual communication. Being part of the open world of the 21^st century, the students from the department spend part of their studies in other European universities under the “Erasmus+” programme. On the other hand, students from Spain, France and Poland come to Veliko Tarnovo University for part of the curriculum classes.

Besides studying arts in the workshops of the University, the students also take part in the life of the city, contributing to the urban esthetics and architectural environment. They have altered the vision of the municipal market and have painted on some of the buildings, making them part of an art space.

“The projects our students create are not just abstract works. Most of them are put through at various places”, deputy dean, Associate professor Vladimir Avramov says. “In the lobby of one of the university buildings we decorated each floor with large scale mosaic pictures for the walls. The large window of the lobby is covered with stained glass. We also have several mosaic murals mounted in public places in town, on the walls of schools and the kindergarten by the stadium. In a building, which is not on the territory of Veliko Tarnovo, we have decorated the school’s corridor with a joint wall painting project made by entire class. Wall paintings are usually done by a team of artists. So the opportunity to work together was part of the students’ teamwork training."

"Soon we are to start work for the decoration of the renovated school in the near-by school in the town of Gorna Oryahovitsa. We are also ready with ideas and concepts for the decoration of the central lobby of the theater house and its wings. I should also mention the achievement of our PHD candidate Plamen Kondov, who made the stained glass of the window panes of the cathedral in the town of Lovech”, Vladimir Avramov says

On December 6, as done by tradition on the eve of Students’ Day (December 8), the annual exhibition of the art department took place. The event was also the occasion for the giving out the diplomas of this year’s alumnae. According to Dean Boris Zhelev, the task of the department is to teach each of the graduates the right esthetic criterion so that they can develop as true artists. On the occasion of December 8, he extended the wish for each one of them to find their right place under the sun, to keep their spirit bright and be ready for hard work.

English version: Iva Letnikova