One drawing, a few lines and a smile, which often has a sharper edge than a long political commentary. This is how Boris Dimovski built his own style in Bulgarian art. The artist was born on October 20, 1925 in the village of Yavrovo, Asenovgrad region, and died in 2007.
Dimovski studied graphics at the Academy of Arts in Sofia between 1949 and 1951. His teacher was Iliya Beshkov - a name that has a special significance for the development of Bulgarian cartooning. Later, Dimovski worked in the newspapers “Trud“ and “Hornet“, and between 1980 and 1985 he was an editor and artist at the Bulgarian National Television.
Thousands of drawings and over 200 illustrated books
Caricature is just one of the directions in his work. He works in the fields of graphics, watercolor, murals and scenography. He illustrates over 200 books for children and adults, including “Please, come“ with epigrams by Radoj Ralin, “Unscrambling thoughts“ by Stanislav Jerzy Lec and “Funny folk tales“.
Dimovski also designed the sets for theatrical productions such as “Improvisation“ by Valeri Petrov and Radoj Ralin and “The Divine Comedy“ by Isidor Shtok. According to art historian Krasimir Iliev, the artist created between 10,000 and 20,000 drawings, about 5,000 of which are caricatures. In the television show “Every Sunday“ he draws live in front of the audience.
“Hot Peppers“ and the Price of Satire
The most famous episode of his creative path is connected with the book “Hot Peppers“ by Radoy Ralin. The 1968 edition collects epigrams and caricatures, and after its appearance it was withdrawn from circulation because of its satirical messages. The case became one of the landmark conflicts between freedom of expression and official ideological censorship in Bulgaria.
Dimovski does not give up his sharp tongue. On May 15, 1989, he told the newspaper “Edinstvo“:
“I sing of freedom and democracy because I love them, but I also love order“.
Over the years, the artist has received a number of awards, including the “Ilya Beshkov“ drawing and caricature award for 1986 and an extraordinary and special award from the International Academy of Arts in Paris in 1991. In 2000, he was awarded the “Stara Planina“ first degree order.
Boris Dimovski also participated in public life as a deputy in the 7th Grand National Assembly and in the 36th National Assembly. But his most enduring image remains that of the artist who turns a few lines into a sentence, a joke or a question. In his drawings, laughter is not an escape from reality, but a way to see it more clearly.
Sources: bta.bg, bnt.bg