Holiday 1986

Editor: So, this is Georgi Kovachev's "Holiday," painted in 1986 using oil. The brushstrokes are so thick and visible; it's really striking. How do you read this portrait, especially in terms of its materials? Curator: Look at how Kovachev deploys the impasto technique – that thick application of paint. It isn't just about depicting a likeness; it's about the labor, the very physicality of applying that pigment. What sort of social conditions might allow an artist the resources, not just financial but also the time, to engage in such a materially intensive practice? Editor: That's a great point. The layering definitely adds to the texture. The painting is both visually appealing and carries, like, actual weight. Do you think the title "Holiday" connects with how he used the material? Curator: The title creates a specific lens, doesn't it? Consider the social context: 1986, Bulgaria was still within the Eastern Bloc. “Holiday” could be a commentary on sanctioned leisure versus lived experiences. The heavy materiality might even hint at the weight of those social and political structures, contrasted against the idealized notion of a carefree break. The very excess of paint becomes a form of subtle resistance or critique of accessible leisure. Editor: Interesting! So, you're suggesting the visible labour in creating the artwork itself speaks to something about labour within the society he was in. I wouldn’t have immediately made that connection, but it adds so many layers. Curator: Exactly. We can explore art as a product, influenced by the means of its production. This approach acknowledges not only aesthetic choices but also the social conditions in which these choices were made and how materials become a commentary in themselves. Editor: That’s a really different way of approaching it for me, I've definitely got food for thought.