If we look deep into the paintings of Valeri Tsenov we would discover an imaginary universe, colorful with the symbolism of mystic imagery. Through the “Secret Gardens” he introduces us to the sacral space of his own soul, which longs for a sublime world. In “Antique Seas” the painter tells us stories of times long gone; while with his ladies’ portraits – spiritual, full of light and purity, he elevates us.

“The symbol of the Mother Earth – of creation, of giving birth to life, is present in my ladies’ portraits”, the painter explains. “There is hardly a brighter archetype than that one, because we are all given life by a mother and live on Earth. I put in the image of a woman beauty and harmony, side by site to an inner power, which is present in Nature itself; a life energy creating everything around us, ourselves included. Of course, these inspirations, emotions and forms are derived from antiquity and later on –through the rules of painting the Orthodox icon.”

It is in the image of the Holy Mother that the artist finds that spiritual element, which in his early works leads him to icon painting. At the start of the new century he retreated for a month in the calm serenity of Mount Athos, where he painted his saints for his exposition “Touching upon Athos”. Soon after that he was offered to paint the icon of St. Claudius for a chapel in Besançon and the icon of Saint John the Baptist for the Iron Church in Istanbul.

“I painted the icon of Saint Claudius for a French monastery near the border with Switzerland”, Valeri Tsenov further says. “Until then his image was not painted on an icon, because he is a Catholic saint. But as he has lived in the 7^th century, it became possible to use the rules of Orthodox iconography to paint a similar icon, based on miniatures and other depictions of his life. The image of St. John the Baptist was painted at the commission by Luka Stanchev – a person that has done a lot for the Bulgarian community in Istanbul, and especially for the Bulgarian Orthodox Church St. Stephen (The Iron Church). The icon is not very big and Saint John is painted as Angel of Desert.”

Valeri Tsenov is born in northeastern Bulgaria, but he chose to live and work in the southern Bulgarian city of Plovdiv – home to numerous prominent painters. He fell in love with the place as a student in the Fine Arts High School there. To this day the antique city unveils for him ever newer layers of ancient history and culture, constantly stirring his excitement. It is in Plovdiv, where Tsenov teaches at the Art Academy, that he has discovered his authentic world, which keeps filling him with love. And this is why his words: “A painting should be started with love so it can come to life” have a special value when considering his works.

“There are so many emotions an artist bubbles with, when facing the white canvass”, Valeri Tsenov says. “That is because the white canvass is a kind of chaos, which the painter has to enter and create his own space. But up to date I would say that it is not enough for a painting to be started with love. It should be completed with kindness, in order to make its presence in the real world worthwhile. The artist is usually positioned on the verge between the spiritual and the earthly. He draws imagery from the world of ideas and contemplative thinking, which he then materializes through paints on the canvas.”

Valeri Tsenov’s work is especially appreciated in France. He is currently presenting yet another exposition there. It is on display at the “Porte Rouge” cultural space in Strasbourg. For that event he has selected paintings from the cycles “Antique Seas” and “Live World”, united under the title “The Fifth Element”.

English version: Iva Letnikova