A Review
by Dimitar Grozdanov
Ivan Minekov is an artist possessing a marked sense for the dramatic nature of the subject matter, for the suggested development of the idea that is being expressed. His education - acquired in Bucharest in Professor Paul Vasilesku’s studio, from 1970 to 1975 - prepared him for a difficult and at the same time favorable path in the light of his subject matter. He makes it his aim to set in motion the inherent grandeur of sculptural works, to seek for that memorable quality that will attribute contemporary significance to his works and involve them in a dialogue with our current way of thinking. I am convinced that he carries out and maintains this line of artistic development in his compositions above all.
Ivan Minekov has an inclination for materials such as bronze and wood, and searches for some specific forms to solve his artistic endeavours. When working with wood he achieves rituality of impression and when with bronze – dramatized states. Such a differentiation in the works executed in different materials speaks about the dynamism in the artist’s conception of the world. He often pursues, and purposefully at that, some lengthening of the proportions in his bronzes, a reinforcement of the resonance, of the delicate texture and the spatial development of the composition. With wood it is the other way round. There the shapes are generalized and often a juxtaposition of human figures and architectural elements is observed, while the delicate curves build up the impact of the images.
Ivan Minekov is an artist characterized by the diversity of his talents. That is why, in his works, there are no abrupt transitions from one stage to another but a constant movement towards a crystallization of his personal style.
