The Way

To The Artworks

exhibition of paintings and graphics by Georgi Lechev

27 November – 16 December 2024
Opening – Wednesday, 27 November 2024, 6:00 PM

"The artist's path—this path has been the same for as long as I can remember. Walking along this path, the things that stir me have no end, and I don’t know when I will be able to touch all the beauty and joy, to reflect them and share them with people. This is the artist's path, the painter's path—long, difficult, and very individual, because you walk it alone, as long as you can give love and beauty, reflecting new and ever more powerful and sincere things."
– Georgi Lechev, Varna, October 2024

On November 27th, Largo Gallery will celebrate its sixteenth anniversary with an extraordinary event. We will present a solo exhibition of paintings and graphics by the iconic artist from Varna Georgi Lechev. The exhibition is entitled "The Way" and is dedicated to the artist’s 75th anniversary. A beautiful bilingual catalog, showcasing the artist's extensive creative journey, will be unveiled to the public at the opening. The project is realized with the financial support of the Municipality of Varna through the Culture Fund. BUY THE CATALOG

The exhibition in Largo gallery is an attempt to present Georgi Lechev’s long and rich path of in art. A difficult path, accompanied by trials and difficulties, but a satisfying and inspiring path that brings him only joy. Conditionally, we can divide Lechev's work into four periods - the period of graphics and “Vulcan”, the period of abstract painting, the blue period and the last period - the apotheosis of life.

In Hall 1 of Largo Gallery, works from the blue and abstract periods of his work will be exhibited, as well as his latest paintings, specially prepared for the exhibition in his hometown. In Hall 2 of the gallery, graphics from the time of Vulкan will be displayed. In this period of his work, Lechev is realistic in his style of work and provocative in his choice of themes.. There is an insatiable drive to search for the reality behind the facade, there are uncomfortable truths that creep in and sometimes inexorably appear in his graphics. The little man, ground down by the system, the wheel that mercilessly turns, crushes, and reshapes his world—the hero of that time, who has risen above his own Golgotha, leaving petty vanity beneath his feet. In Dynasty, the dissection of the 'mature' socialism of that period and the collective image of its functionaries is shocking and terrifying. In Reservation, we encounter the other hero of that same time—the little man, ready to enclose himself behind barbed wire and close his eyes to reality just for a piece of bread. It’s no coincidence that both graphics are framed by a heavy red curtain. And it’s not by chance that during the Vulkan years, Lechev’s graphics were removed from exhibitions. He was seen as inconvenient. However, this was not rebellion or protest—according to him, he was simply seeking the truth.

Even during the Vulkan years, the Varna artist began experimenting in the field of abstraction. First in his graphics, and then in his paintings, we start to see freedom, exploration, and transformation of forms. Lechev himself shares that during this period, his works felt like jazz improvisation—he even titled one of his paintings that way. At the same time, the lightness and improvisation gradually gave way to a fierce and dramatic style of painting. The intensity comes from the energetic movement of the brush across the canvas; his paintings are like exploding stars, bursting and shattering the space around them. The drama comes from the color—the palette is bold and minimalistic, using raw, striking colors like red, blue, black, gray, and yellow. These colors resonate like a slap in his paintings, like a raging, thunderous storm. About this period of his life and art, Lechev himself says: 'I don’t use the word fury; I use liberation—for what I carry within me as emotion, as feeling. I started to develop my relationship with what surrounds us in the world, in nature, painting abstractly, with a lot of light, warmth, joy, and energy. I wanted to capture these feelings that stirred me and to share them with people.'

Naturally and, I would say, logically, Lechev’s artistic path then shifted in another direction—the blue period: airy, light, liberated, filled with light and joy. Born in Varna, he has looked at the sea and sky his entire life, witnessing their endless variety. For him, they are an inexhaustible source of color and light. His fascination with the theme of the sea and sky and the connection between them continues to this day, which is why he tirelessly reinterprets it.

And again, in a natural progression, this theme grew into the fourth period of his work—an apotheosis of life. Lechev is drawn to what surrounds us in the world, to nature. He explores our connections with it, tirelessly interpreting everything around him—apples, chestnuts, leaves, fields, rocks, boats, seagulls, the lighthouse on the shore. Preserving his childlike spirit, he remains a curious discoverer; everything around him is ready to capture his attention as an artist. Thus, in the last fifteen years, the Varna artist has turned to an endless variety of themes and subjects, using the energy with which nature has created them, taking them into his soul, experiencing them, and then pouring them out and interpreting them on canvas. For him, many of the things around us carry incredible energy, and this energy possesses healing qualities. Through his paintings, people can feel and absorb this energy, becoming stronger, healthier, and better. This is his fate, his mission—this is the Path of Georgi Lechev.

We hope to see you at the opening on 27 November 2024 at 6:00 PM at Largo gallery in Varna, 8 Han Krum str. The exhibition runs until December 16. The project is realized with the financial support of the Municipality of Varnna through the Culture Fund.

Nelly Valcheva