Jivko Darakchiev

The great works of the past portray abundant testimonies, and are imbued with secrets and are teeming with mysteries. Beneath the surface of the painting, details awaken, to recount the spirit of the times and the vagaries of History, such as wars, revolutions, economic transformation, scientific discovery, beliefs and schools of thought.

A grainy hammer smashes down. A teenage skier whirls by and an old man is toppled by a wave. Black pyramids exchange roles with white cliffs. Natural or almost, these unstable features are a force to be protected, preserved, or otherwise played with. Human actions are put into teetering balance with nature's own infallible cycles and inevitable impermanence.