site.btaReligious Art by Valchan Petrov on Display at Anel Gallery

Sofia's Anel Gallery is displaying religious-themed art by renowned Plovdiv-based artist Valchan Petrov. The exhibition is curated by Plamena Dimitrova - Racheva and will be on until May 11, said the organizers.

Taking place a year before the artist celebrates his 80th birthday, the exhibition was timed to be on for the Eastern Orthodox Easter.

The 47 paintings in the exhibition use biblical scenes and Christian symbols and images, which sometimes intertwine with paganism, myths and legends.

The artist uses painting, wood carving, collage and ceramics in his art. He is inspired by the icon art and ancient and Thracian art, and his works pay tribute to the known and unknown icon painters, jewelers, wood and stone carvers who, to use Petrov's own words, gave a human dimension to the image of God to facilitate man-God communication, the curator said.