When science dreams: the art of Bulgarian illustrator Georgi Pchelarov

Georgi Pchelarov transforms his childhood passion for collecting insects into art rooted in scientific knowledge and an artistic imagination. And although tradition dictates that on milestone anniversaries artists present retrospectives of their achievements, he has prepared 41 new works to mark his 70th birthday.

The exhibition “Kunstkamera” at the “Sofia Press” Gallery-Bookstore in the Bulgarian capital city takes us into a room of arts where the creations of nature come alive in a colorful and cheerful world. Upon crossing its threshold, illustrations of animals and plants enter the human soul, purifying it from misfortunes and the burdens of reality.

“I decided to be unconventional, so this is the result of my year-long work,” says the scientific illustrator. “The drawings were created for different occasions - some are book illustrations, while others are standalone works. What’s interesting is that the exhibition also features plants, even though years ago I mainly painted animals. This creates a pleasant variety. Different techniques have been used - some drawings are done in pencil, but most are watercolors.”

During his childhood, Georgi Pchelarov enjoyed playing but was also deeply interested in studying nature’s inhabitants.

“Our apartment in the town of Razgrad was next to a huge park,” he recalls. “Besides playing there, from a very early age I collected butterflies, beetles, all sorts of curiosities, and tried to draw them. So my interest began back then, and to this day I continue collecting. It’s no coincidence that I named the exhibition ‘Kunstkamera’ - my own study, studio, and library are quite a fascinating kunstkamera, filled with all kinds of rarities - animal skulls, bird feathers.”

The exhibition’s curator, Hristina Grozdanova, expands the story of the scientific illustrator born in 1955 in Bulgaria’s Ruse:

“Interestingly, he studied biology. Already in the 19th and 20th centuries in the United States and Western Europe, many artists developed in the field of scientific illustration, and they were primarily researchers and artists by necessity. In Bulgaria we also have several such creators, the most experienced of whom is Georgi Pchelarov.

After graduating from Sofia University, he began working in scientific illustration, and as early as 1987 he received his first major commission - illustrations for the monograph ‘Fauna of Bulgaria,’ volume ‘Birds.’ Since then, he has remained in this field, devoting his entire life to illustrating scientific publications.

A very well-known work of his is the 1991 field guide ‘Birds of the Balkan Peninsula,’ with nearly 2,000 color illustrations, reissued in 2012 in an expanded edition, which remains the most up-to-date book of its kind.

Since 2016, Georgi Pchelarov has chaired the Society of Animalists, Florists, and Scientific Illustrators, and this year he participated in a prestigious international exhibition of botanical illustrators organized by the largest American association of such artists.

Like a true scientist, Georgi Pchelarov manages to subordinate artistic freedom to scientific discipline and accuracy in his illustrations.

“Here you forget about freedom in art, because scientific illustration requires precision,” he states. “On the other hand, scientific illustration is art - there is still interpretation, and the artist contributes his own perspective and style.”

Pchelarov returns to the remote 1983 when, feeling at a crossroads, he decided to devote himself to depicting the living world. “At that time there were almost no people dedicated solely to this. This path has continued for me for 42 years now - it was a difficult decision but the right one,” he says.

To this day, he divides his time between nature and the studio, where, surrounded by artifacts and books, he draws. Georgi Pchelarov is considered one of the most renowned illustrators of wildlife.

“I explain this with the fact that I’ve had long experience and solid knowledge accumulated over the years. For young colleagues, especially those who are not biologists or zoologists, it is quite difficult to portray a species because they need to search for information, whereas for me it is enough to hear the species name, and I can immediately sketch it. Of course, afterward I refine the drawing.”

The paths that bring us to the right place are mysterious - so why shouldn’t that path be a family name?

“The surname “Pchelarov” (ed. “beekeeper” in Bulgarian) is relatively new - it is actually an ‘invention’ of my father, because his father and grandfather were beekeepers. But perhaps there is a connection after all, since bees and the Hymenoptera order of insects in general are endlessly fascinating to me,” the scientific illustrator says with a smile.

Photos: Diana Tsankova
Edited by Elena Karkalanova
English version: Rositsa Petkova