"Guiding Light" painting exhibition by Vasil Petrov

About this event

ART MARCONI GALLERY Awarded the "Varna" Award 2022. Represents: 13.08 – 08.09. 2026 "GUIDING LIGHT" Painting exhibition on VASIL PETROV 6:30 p.m. 13/08/Thursday/ 2026 Varna, 22 Ohrid Street, Art Marconi Gallery The marine theme will definitely dominate this exhibition. It began with the inclusion of Vasil Petrov in the "Sea Spirit of Varna" - the sixth edition of Portrait of Varna in a hundred picturesque canvases. During all the years of our friendship and cooperation, I have noticed that, approaching each exhibition, Vasko catches some emphasis and manages to immerse himself in this topic, unfolding it to the maximum. Flowing the story line from canvas to canvas, he retains his original impulse without waiting for drying processes to interrupt his emotional and creative process. Thus the narrative acquires new variations, but at the same time collects the energy and makes the exposition more impactful. Predominant in the exposition are sea lighthouses – the flickering light for every sailor, suggesting the proximity of: salvation from storms, the dreamy shore, the comfort of home, the embrace of loved ones... Above each lighthouse, in the clouds, we can distinguish hugging figures or kissing faces. Vasil Petrov loves this provocation to the viewer's observation. With it, he visualized his message about LOVE – A GUIDE LIGHT. SHE is the one who tames the wind in the sweeping storm, SHE is the one who supports the watch on the wheelhouse, despite the fatigue, SHE is the one who, even in the most impossible situations, lifts you to your feet, gives you strength and imagination and leads you forward! SHE – LOVE is the one that gives meaning to our PATH! In the center of the exhibition is a work depicting one of the actions of the rescue ship "Perun". March 13, 1994 at 10 p.m., the sea near the Bosphorus is relatively calm, but lit up by fire, due to the collision of the tanker "Nassia" /carrying 98,600 tons of crude oil, 600 tons of fuel oil and 250 tons of diesel fuel / and the cargo ship "Shipbroker". Perun takes a major role in extinguishing the fire and assisting in unloading the damaged tanker and preventing an environmental disaster. In this picture, the drama is in the fiery inferno and the clouds of smoke obscuring the horizon, against the background of which "Perun" rushes the waves, rushing towards the fire. And again Vasil Petrov's imagination takes us somewhere else. The occasion for this picture is the 45th anniversary of an iconic rescue operation that took place in the Black Sea. On January 9, 1981, the familiar SOS signal was sounded by the distressed Greek ship "Taxiarchis". The rescue tug "Perun" goes out into the open sea in a violent storm and excitement of 8 points, which during the five-hour passage reaches 9 points. Arriving at the scene of the disaster, 13 mortars were fired from the deck while, amidst the raging elements, the towline was taken over by a ship in distress. The sight of Greek sailors crying and kissing the ground, after getting off the ship, is moving...Vasil Petrov had the opportunity to hear this story first hand, to meet many of the participants in the rescue operation, to look at the sea from the deck of "Perun", even in calm weather. He loves the elements. The stories of his sea friends always impress him and remain deeply in his mind. 25 years ago, a sad occasion provoked him to recreate this sea story, using a black and white photo and his memories of the stories about it. His incredible imagination had seen the situation in its authentic colors. Everything in this work was real: the element of the incoming waves of water flooding the bridge of the distressed ship, the threatening clouds overhanging, adding to the sense of tension, danger and drama. Vasil Petrov's works always tell stories. Behind the aesthetic delight of vigorously applied strokes, skillful handling of light, colorful gradients and contrasts, he is the skilled storyteller. Succinctly, with subtle hints veiled or projected into the background, he rewrites stories, shares artifacts, gives emotional and picturesque references to events that sometimes happened millennia ago. Because the artist cannot isolate himself from the world around him. He feels the vibrations of the past and the present, and skillfully makes his unique connections and creative interpretations. Vanya Markova - Art Marconi Gallery