Beach day, 2024

Ivo Petrov  

Born in Pleven, Bulgaria, Ivo painted from a young age. He developed his artistic talents in high school and then specialized in painting at the University of Veliko Tarnovo, fine arts section. Attached to his roots and his country, he still lives and works in his hometown today. Art is for him a family affair. His wife, artist Nina Petrova, shares her passion for painting. The couple evolve in a framework conducive to exchange and creation.

Ivo finds his inspiration in the aesthetics of the Belle Époque and the electric atmosphere of the 1900s. He appreciates the painters of the Viennese Secession (late 19th-early 20th century) and the elegance of Art Deco. Gustav Klimt (Austrian painter, 19th-20th centuries) and Tamara de Lempicka (Polish painter, 20th century) are among his favorite artists. The painter uses the oil technique for its plasticity and intensity.

This medium offers him an infinite palette of tones. Its imposing figures stand out against the decorated backgrounds. Their faces are marked by shadows of very bright colors (red, blue, orange, purple….) In the manner of tribal tattoos. This original feature recalls the Fauvism of Henri Matisse (French painter, 20th century).

Figurative, his art is characterized by a stylized, almost cubist treatment of shapes and figures. The composition responds to a geometric overall organization. Each element of the canvas is clearly delimited in its own space. The painted scene is not represented in its entirety but cut as if to encourage the spectator to take a seat in the work. Ivo combines heterogeneous elements (traditional costumes, references to the world of circus, dance, etc.) by creating astonishing and bewitching universes. A skillful director, the painter brings a whole spectacle of colors to life on the blank canvas. Real (everyday scenes) or fantasized (mythological, folkloric scenes), his works invite us to dream.