Bulgaria Traditionalism
Iliya Zhelev is a Bulgarian painter who lives and works in his hometown of Plovdiv.
He graduated from St. Cyril and Methodius University in Veliko Tarnovo in painting and is one of the leading contemporary artists not only in Bulgaria, but also in Europe.
Zhelev's works are abstract paintings, portraits and depictions of cities, characterized by his distinct and recognizable style. He is inspired as much by Bulgarian folklore and carpet weaving as by contemporary European art, as by the renowned masters Klee, Kandinsky and Polyakov. Zhelev uses the complex classical technique of glaze painting, in which layer upon layer is applied, alternating with long drying phases. As a result, his works acquire the typical brightness that makes up his unmistakable handwriting.