mitkov.com

Painting Meets Poetry

The works of Pavel Mitkov inspired the Russian poetess Nina Panushkina to create a collection of poems dedicated to his paintings. Each of the 34 texts is inspired by a particular picture of Mitkov.

You can read it in Russian here

Pavel Mitkov – „Fate Doesn’t Talk To Me!“ An Interview with continuation

Published on March 2, 2011 by They Speak Out

Since Pavel Mitkov conquered the world by his pictures, the art society has been divided into two fighting worlds – some negating him and others again raising his art into a cult. But nobody remained indifferent. And how could it be otherwise? It is not an everyday event that works of a Bulgarian artist happen to find their way to becoming the possession of politicians from the world elite? Pavel Mitkov is an emblem of success and therefore it did not take long until rumors and speculations appeared feeding on his persisting silence in the media.

Certainly it is quite a difficult task to meet Pavel Mitkov and it is not because he refuses contacts with his public in principle but simply because he does not at all personify the existing cliché of a lonely artist. On the contrary, he is dynamic; he would turn over a state, even a continent for the sake of organizing exhibitions or business appointments walking on the sharp edge of the so much criticized commercial aspect of art. But namely because of the generally accepted labels being not his nature, Pavel Mitkov has developed a style of work of his own, which does not lack any sound connection with the material aspect but it does not lack the philosophy of balance either and it is namely balance that the artist raises into cult.

Much is spoken and will be spoken of Pavel Mitkov. He is not a colorless, insipid personality who would leave people indifferent. His works are full of some special atmosphere, calmness and aestheticism that have turned into his characteristic feature. And as to whether the picture could express something different than the soul of the artist, you have to judge for yourselves. Here, for the first time, Pavel Mitkov raises the corner of the curtain a bit!

„Outlive and Outlast These Things…”

How do you accept art? How important is its commercial aspect?

For me the art is a science, a way of life that teaches me many things. With the time it happened that I became one of the best selling artists and many people accuse me of commercialism. Yes, I have made pictures for money, too, and I am not ashamed of that at all, but every following picture is less and less commercial. This is where I see my development. And the fact that I have passed through such own materialistic concepts, namely buying the latest model of Mercedes, buying a luxurious house in Boyana, I believe all that has only made me richer as a man, has given me the opportunity to outlast these things.

I suppose that is also the way to some freedom in the personal creative work, where you may have the liberty to create what you prefer.

Yes, there is such a theory in psychology, namely that if you do not accomplish the scale of material satisfaction you cannot advance upwards because it will always be a load for you and will create for you prejudices and weak points. To differentiate from the material aspect without going to raise sheep in the mountains or becoming a hermit in a cave, in my opinion that is difficult to achieve. Especially if one has a family. Because following such an attitude of not betraying my art and not getting a farthing for it, I would hardly be capable of providing food and education to my children, of managing anything. But if you do things with the faith that the works of art would be well sold and if you do them with positive emotion, there always will be good people, who would buy them.

„Lying Serves the Commercial Aspect!”

How does the process of art creation run with you? In a video presentation of yours you explain how you paint and one gets the feeling that painting is a process that requires no concentration, that it is fast and very easy.

With me this process does not require concentration. It is easy and that is the truth. I have produced no advertisement clip – „Look how difficult things are accomplished to perfection. I am keeping them on the roof tiles to acquire a golden yellow shade”. That would be commercial – to lie! I am creating fast, easily. It is actually easier for me, easier than walking – what I am doing now is easier. If you make me paint Mona Lisa I could not be capable of doing it.

Is It True that You Don’t Need a Preliminary Defined Subject?

Not at all. The process begins when the brush touches the canvas. Imagine you penetrate into a socket with a screw-driver. Thus when you touch the canvas you get hit by the electric current and you feel really free with the canvas.

That Is Something Purely Mechanical That Goes Out of You?

It is purely mechanical. Not a process that has been initially contrived. Now you see how many things I say due to which people wouldn’t buy my pictures. Everyone wants something to be well considered, want that you imply much emotion into something. So you can always lie. You can always enjoy yourself following the type of „now I shall read ten chapters of Shakespeare and shall paint three square centimeters of the picture”. Things can be wrapped in such a form. But there is nothing like truth. How do things actually happen… they happen insanely easy with me.

Have you ever dared try another kind of art. Have you felt the necessity to combine painting with music, for instance, or with design?

I am doing it continuously. I can’t paint without listening to music or without being in absolute silence. The combination of arts is very interesting but also very dangerous because a great mess might occur. It is like one sound. It might cause harmony but also ugly vibrations that might annoy you.

On the Background of What Music Do You Paint?

I like any music except the so called chalga (folk-pop). I like classical music very much, jazz, techno, too, more speedy kinds, rock for instance.

Are You required To Paint Different Things?
No. I might paint an old Bulgarian house listening to techno music, for instance.

And Do You Paint for Your Children?

Rarely. They paint. I have two daughters and they paint without stopping.

„Every Child Paints with the Participation of Its Soul.”

Do you see any talent in them?

I see talent in every child, which paints. Because the child paints exactly in the way, which I consider to be the right one. It paints implying its soul, it does not paint using its head or its brains. In my opinion we are born rich and pure and gradually we are losing something of ourselves. 70-80% of the artists in Bulgaria at the moment, and I am not offending anyone as my colleagues and authors, I am an artist myself (or at least I am considered to be such), are painting implying their sorrow. Looking at their pictures, they might kill you by the sorrow, like poison. And still they want such pictures to be well sold. Well, no one would buy them! Perhaps a demon would buy such a picture, someone strongly negative, who would feed on such a thing. But look how different the picture of a child is or of whoever… I would not mention a concrete name – the entire picture in dark, gloom, in black with some cross there … What a great difference!

Isn’t it most important that your work of art expresses you exactly? Could you, being a cheerful person, as you say paint a gloomy picture?
I would never sit and paint for the purpose of expressing my dark sides on the canvas.
And where do you express your dark moments?
It is like the cleaning rule, the best cleaning is not to make dirty. I watch that I don’t make myself dirty or at least as little as possible.

An Artist or..?

Have you got an artist that is your idol?

No, there is none such for me. I myself do not consider myself an artist. The opinion of many of my colleagues is that I am not an artist and it is correct. They think they would injure me this way but it is the other way round. I myself do not consider myself a painter. I think I am a painting type.
Perhaps you do not take yourself seriously, or you don’t get clearly into the notion of an artist?
To say that somebody is an artist or a painter, following the cliché, that person should have graduated, should have studied… There exists the idea that he has to be poor. He has to be misunderstood, to be poor and autistic; has to be dirty, to be cynical, has to have a beard. Only recently I left some beard grow… In this sense I do not entirely coincide with the expected image.

It seems there is a rather rough competition among the artists?

There is a rough competition in everything in the world. The fact is that the colleagues cannot understand that spite doesn’t help, envy has helped nobody; these feelings are too elementary. Every thing will find its proper place. The laws of the universe are so that there is no way things would not find their proper places. That is only a spark that will jump from one place to another.

You have accepted as your motto in Facebook the phrase „Fate doesn’t speak to me. It is angry at me for not taking it into account”.

That was at a moment when fate really didn’t speak to me.

No luck?

Yes. What I want to express by that is exactly these 30 percent of what we can manage really in our lives.

You prefer things to be in your hands, to be managed by you rather than by some predestination?

We have to keep trying continuously. We have to believe we can. That is what I say to any one who reads

this. He has to believe he can! As soon as he stops believing he can, as soon as he admits he can’t do something, it will be so; he will become incapable of doing it. Thirteen years ago we, two men, managed to get a car out of a swamp! And that is because we firmly believed we could do it. The car was under water up to the mirrors. And later on, everybody who saw the place and the car all in mud, was convinced that even a tractor would not be in the state to draw it out of the swamp. But I am a witness of all that, we both had faith and we managed to draw it out. We pushed for about an hour and a half without the car moving from the spot for even a millimeter! Then all of a sudden something happened, the car moved for a millimeter then again for another millimeter, then yet another, a second one, a third one, a centimeter… and so on for about 30 meters.
There exist negative people who make people lose their faith and confidence, making you believe you have no vision, no talent, nothing to rely on.
Fate tries even geniuses. The man who found out Sellin Dion was telling me about it. He is of Bulgarian origin. His name is Sasha Escenazi. He has for many years been director of the French National Television. She came to him with her crooked teeth, similar to a vampire and was confused and dared not smile at all. And here she becomes … after a while gradually she turns into the Sellin Dion of now. That means, if a person even if not at all talented… has a feeling of prosperity in itself and a will to achieve things then that is its talent! If that person manages to succeed, its talent is being recognized. We all know that Madonna cannot sing, but we see what she achieves. With Sting it is the same case. Has Slavi Trofonov a good voice? But still he manages in his own way.

Are we talking of art now or of commercial success?

Thins are slowly and gradually balanced in the world as regards what is art and what not. Many things have not been recognized as art and then later it comes out that they are. Time recognizes and the world recognized them too. It is not for us to tell, time will judge!

Pavel Mitkov: I love Berlin

All the pictures of Pavel Mitkov induce wonderful impression without exception. They are excellent, light and hiding some mystery, and like a cascade of high-flying jazz syncope, dewdrops on petals of water lilies or smell of lilac… This could be rarely seen and is stuck forever in memory. Therefore, it would be inexcusable to miss the chance to see “live” the birth of the next masterwork of the paintbrush of the young Bulgarian artist, by the way, one of the most famous contemporary masters of painting (his pictures adorn the collections of the king of Belgium Albert II, the prime minister of Russia Vladimir Putin, the mayor of Moskow Yury Luzhkov and the United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton), and to speak about his paintings, his newly opened gallery in Berlin and other no less important issues. We have not missed this occasion...

Pavel, you carry out a master class and a presentation in Berlins club “Goya” today – why did you choose such a extravagant place?

I was invited to this evening by the organizer Igor Kotjay, a good friend of mine - in this way, I have the opportunity to present my art to the guests of this celebration and to show some of my pictures and the process of their creating. I think, it would be very interesting!

What do you want to paint?

Flowers! Because I want to warm up the cold Berlin weather with light colors and to let feel the spring through positive emotions...

And where do you get the images in general from?

From the heaven (laughing). I take the motifs from life. Everywhere is such a beauty that is often...

/FAVORITE

5D Paintings

It's no secret that silence is tangible. Do you remember? In the famous Russian cartoon „Hedgehog in the fog”, the hero likes to listen to silence.

But how can you hear it, when is it - Silence? The secret is that it sounds extremely beautiful.

I am sitting at the water, its surface is smooth and quiet. Willow spreads out its twigs over the surface of the water.

There fell a drop. Hardly audible. Circles ran in the water.

There is scent of water. Such inexpressible and dizzy.

Further off, hardly touching, stopped two boats. Who said that boats cannot speak?

Through the high grass, the world lays down in the water. Didn't you have such a feeling?

Actually, I am in the city, in my apartment at the eight floor. I am looking at the picture of Pavel Mitkov “Dream”. Silence can be also … seen.

...Evening. City. After the rain, air is such transparent, fresh and “palatable”. The roadway along the Seine, … wet after the rain, … and therein reflects the city. I see the evening colours, hear such a cosy city noise, breathe fresh air and feel the wind of the river. I live and smile together with the city. I am in Paris. I am looking at the painting of Pavel “Paris”.

How does he do it, I don't know. However, I know exactly: 5D is not only a film format. This is when the works of the painter are full of excitement, and the reality around ceases to exist for some time. When you and the painting speak the same language that cannot be richer. When the power of the painting joins yours at once, and in this union of the energies, a feeling of flying and a pure conquering pleasure is born. 5D – that are the works of Pavel Mitkov.

Beauty saves the world. Ancient? Get acquainted with the paintings of Pavel. And if the heart feels inspiration and peace of mind at the same time, the lost dream returns and you remember that you can fly. You will say again: beauty saves ..!

Pupp Journal - Grandhotel PUPP (Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic)

PAVEL MITKOV
born at August, 17-th 1977 in Sofia, Bulgaria

Pavel Mitkov is the most successful and most collected artist in the European connoisseur of art community in recent years. His work has been presented with enormous success at many major exhibitions in Europe and the United States.

He has painted a large variety of paintings and has won numerous awards.

Pope John Paul II, H. R .M. Albert II, King of Belgium, the Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Senator Hillary Clinton are among those who have been presented with the artist's paintings.

The works of Pavel Mitkov are expressive, energetic, graceful, dynamic and very positive. His primary products are oil canvas that feature Mitkov’s rich and vibrant colors and his peaceful and inspiring themes.

A selling exhibition of pictures by the world-famous painter Pavel Mitkov can be found directly in the Grandhotel Pupp.

Issue: SPRING 1|2011
www.pupp.cz

BG artist enchanted Russian governors

Pavel Mitkov opened “The Council of the World” in the Federal Assembly in Moscow

MILA KUDRINA, MOSCOW

7 May, 2011

Famous Bulgarian artist Pavel Mitkov opened his solo exhibition in the building of the Upper House of Russian Parliament - the Federation Council. The vernissage called by the master of the brush "The Council of the World," aroused huge interest among the governors and members of the Federal Assembly. In May this year a vernissage of the notable artist will also be opened in the legendary Moscow Exhibition Centre "Gostiny Dvor."

Before the official part Mitkov met the President of the Upper House Sergey Mironov in person and handed him his work "Two Suns". The Chairman of governors immediately hung the Bulgarian artist's painting at a prominent place. This is the second picture of Mitkov at Mironov's office. A few years ago during his visit to Bulgaria, the President of the Federal Assembly received from the rector of the University of Library and Information Technology in Sofia, Stoyan Denchev, one of the Pavel Mitkov's popular autumn landscapes.

The exhibition in Moscow was opened by the Vice President of Russian Federation Council Svetlana Orlova, who expressed gratitude to the master on behalf of the entire parliament leadership. "Today our joy is double, because Pavel Mitkov is young and talented. We all love Bulgaria, and through his paintings the relationship between our two nations strengthens even more," said Ms Orlova. She said this was only the beginning of a creative cooperation between the Federal Assembly and our artist and that the next stops of his vernissage will be the regions of Russia.

Former Russian Ambassador to Bulgaria Anatoliy Potapov called Mitkov "a man of the future" and called attention to his varied and unusual view of the world. "Exhibition at such an institution is an honor and a great recognition for every artist, Mitkov said to the guests. Then Mrs. Orlova examined the 33 exhibited pictures showing great interest in the paintings "Bulgarian Rug," "Night Flowers" and "White Poppies".

The Bulgarian painter was also one of the sensations at this year's Moscow Art Festival "Traditions and Modernity" held in early March at the Manege Exhibition Centre in Moscow. Mitkov's "Two Suns" exhibition was held during the festival. The guests deeply moved by the works of our artist in which the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, the cafes of Paris and the sunrise over Koprivshtitsa come alive.

Pavel Mitkov has had more than 35 solo exhibitions around the world - in Russia, the Philippines, the UAE, Greece, Hungary, Austria, Poland, Washington, New York and Chicago, Japan, etc. His paintings are part of the collections of the late Pope John Paul II, the King of Belgium Prince Albert, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, Russian Patriarch Cyril. The artist has been awarded the prize for painting of the "Masarykova" Academy in Prague, the globally recognized "Salvador Dali" prize, the "Franz Kafka" prize at the European competition in Prague. He has also been awarded with the Order of Lomonosov in Moscow. Several years ago the artist exhibited 130 paintings at the Moscow Museum of History.

Europost 2011

http://www.europost.bg/article?id=1752

Exhibition on Templar themes in the Ministry of Culture presented

07.11.2008 16:55

The Order of the Templar in Bulgaria opened today together with the Ministry of Culture an exhibition on the themes of the Knights Templar, reported the Ministry of culture. The exhibition involving paintings of Marina Verentsova-Russeva, Rositza Halatcheva, Boyan Yanev, Ventsislav Tuleshkov, Kliment Atanassov, Nikolay Russev, Petar Mitschev-Pedro and Pavel Mitkov can be visited in the gallery „Sredets” of the Ministry of Culture. The exhibition is dedicated to the proclamation of Bulgaria as a Grand Priory of the Order of the Templar in Jerusalem and can be visited until 13th of November 2008. The exhibition is opened by Mr. Rumen Raltschev, a Grand Prior of the Grand Priory in Bulgaria and Mr. Ivan Tokatshiev, deputy minister of culture.
During the opening of the exhibition, Rumen Raltschev informed that 20 percent of the receipts of the sold paintings will be used for the fund of the Order of the Templar to give a free dinner for 300-350 people in need, that is provided on Fridays at 12 o'clock in the garden of the church Sveti Sedmochislenitsi“.
/Agency “Focus”

Opening of the Amalgam exhibition in the Bulgarian Embassy in London

On the 11th of January 2011, the Amalgam exhibition was opened to the public in the Sophia Art Gallery at the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in London. Two of the most famous Bulgarian artists, the sculptor Yanko Bonev and the painter Pavel Mitkov were presented in the exposition.
They joined their talent in the area of sculpture and fine art in one harmonious unity and contributed to the impressing lookout of the exhibition. Yanko Bonev participated in the exhibition with 25 sculptures of bronze on different themes, and Pavel Mitkov presented 15 paintings that were created specially for the exhibition in London. This was the first presentation of Yanko Bonev and Pavel Mitkov in the UK capital despite their numerous events in the world stage.
The present guests who included representatives of the cultural and academical circles, art connoisseur, and friends of Bulgaria expressed great interest and attention to the exhibition and assessed at its true value the talent of the authors.
The exhibition will be open to the public until 25th January 2011 at the Sophia Art Gallery in the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in London.
Yanko Bonev works in the area of monumental sculpture and his preferred material is bronze. During the years, he participates in a number of national exhibitions, and his implemented projects can be seen in various towns in Bulgaria. The name of Yanko Bonev is entered in the Bulgarian Encyclopedia of Monumental Art.
Pavel Mitkov has over 30 individual exhibitions in Europe, the USA, the Philippines, Japan and others. He is a winner of several international awards for fine arts. Main themes in his works are cityscapes, the old houses of the Bulgarian national revival, the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, flowers and abstractions, whereby his paintings are known by the strong Bulgarian presence.

Pavel Mitkov in Art-M Gallery, Tryavna

Tryavna is a special place to stay in Bulgaria. The city is famous for its charming old time architecture and pleasant tranquil atmosphere.

Situated in this picturesque area, close to the magnificent architectural ensemble of the Clock Tower, Art M Gallery is a must see location too.

The gallery hosted Pavel Mitkov’s first solo exhibition in 1997.

The “Art-M” gallery is established on 12 December 1990 in Tryavna by Dobrinka Maneva. The first presented artists are from the town and the region and their works still can be found in the sphere of art. Such artists are: Ivan Hristov Groga, Plamen Kostov, Iliya Zhelev, Emil Goranov, Georgi Dimitrov. Not only the works of artists can be seen in the gallery, the works of students of the Tryavna’s Art School also can be found there. The number of the artists and their works exhibited in the gallery increases as time passes.

In 1998 is the first exhibition of the gallery outside of Tryavna – the artist Teodora Maleshkova is presented with a one-man show in the building of the National Assembly. After this the gallery takes part in “Art Expo’98″ in the National Palace of Culture in Sofia, where receives a diploma for the excellent presentation of the artists.

In June 1999 the gallery takes part in the “Fair of Arts” (Plovdiv), and from December 1999 to January 2000 together with the “Lesedra” gallery (Sofia) makes an exhibition for the opening of the “Millennium” hall in the National Palace of Culture. In 2000 and 2001 there are two more exhibitions in “Salon of Arts” in the National Palace of Culture. For the second one the “Art-M” gallery receives “Special Award” and a diploma for contribution in organizing and presenting the common heritage of Tryavna. The gallery has been taking part in “Salon of private galleries” (“Shipka” 6, Sofia) every year since 2000. These exhibitions show the appearance, the true self of the gallery, the work conception of art man and they have received favorable comments from public and critics.

Interview with Pavel Mitkov in Manager Magazine: About Expressive Drawing

Manager Magazine, July 2011
Tsvetelina Petrova, photos Juliyan Donov, private archive
manager.bg

The Mitkov gallery is located opposite the Russian church. It is impossible to overlook it, you look always at the huge „Egg of happiness“ in front of the gallery. The owner Pavel Mitkov painted it as a symbol of happiness and prosperity. I go to meet the painter which paintings are part of the collections of Vladimir Putin, Hillary Clinton, the King of Belgium Albert II, the Pope Benedikt XVI. The painter has his own galleries in Berlin, Moscow and Karlovy Vary. I am curious about how he looks like. And as it often happens, he is not so as I thought. A smiling young man welcomes me, dressed in a black Ferrari T-shirt, intellectually unpretentious.

Mr. Mitkov, tell us how your paintings were acquired by world politicians and royalty?

- Certain institutions bought these paintings and presented them as a sign of respect for appropriate political leaders. The first my picture that was given Vladimir Putin, shows the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. The church board ordered it on the occasion of the first visit of the Russian politician in Bulgaria on 3th of March 2003.The painting in the collection of Hillary Clinton was bought by Petar Stoyanov at one of my first solo exhibitions in the National Gallery for Foreign Art. The Bulgarian parliamentary delegation led by Prof. Ognyan Gerdzhikov gave the late Pope John Paul II a painting with the Batchkovo monastery. The new Pope obtained my painting with the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral from the chairwoman of the parliament Tsetska Tsatcheva on 23^th of May this year.

What themes and motives are there mostly in your paintings?

- That are expressed emotions on the canvas. Some emotions are as I feel them, others – as I want to have them, and third – as I find afterwards in the painting itself. Everything that I dream, that is born in my subconsciousness, I express on the canvas. Some time ago, I enjoyed painting wet city streets, because after raining, when the sun rises again, the city has a very special and beautiful Aura. At present, I prefer the metaphysical themes, even I can say, religious and esoteric. I paint what I cannot see with my eyes, but I feel with my soul and my heart.

How long do you paint a picture?

- I am an expressive painter. If something is not created like an explosion on the canvas, it is not mine. This picture here „Supermoon“ with the size of 150 x 130 cm is painted in about one hour on 19^th March 2011 at 21h, when the biggest supermoon for many years happened. But no matter what I am painting, I do it quickly, I don't compromise on it.

What is the situation in the market – who buys today contemporary art, how do the prices change?

- I can speak concretely about my paintings. The customers change. At the moment, there are only collectors, 80% are foreigners. There are a lot of collectors in Bulgaria too, but we are a small country and that's why they cannot be a lot as an absolute number. Some time ago, many people with new-built homes and faster enriched businessmen bought paintings. Until 2009, I even painted to order, but since then I don't work on request for private collections. The price range made by my team is very wide – I have paintings costing 50 thousand Euro, and others to the price of 1000 Euro. I have not many paintings with the highest price, they are exclusive. I insist that they go into the collections of true connoisseurs.