under these restrictions, artists have used it as an
avenue for greater freedom of expression. The influence of peasant
icons, for instance, can be seen in the work of many contemporary
artists. Peasant motifs, such as the fruits of the earth, are also
evident in much of the work. The art most acceptable to the leadership,
however, has been the kind of realism that Westerners associate with
communist art. Typical of this style is Ilia Petrov's _Partisan Song_, a
monumental canvas depicting a group of partisans triumphantly singing
after a victory over fascists. Petrov has consistently received official
praise for his work, which is seen as "national in form and socialist in
content."

Under the influence of Zhivkov's more liberal cultural policy in the
1960s, artists began to show greater variation and creativity in style
while retaining the acceptable subject matter for their work. Many
experimented with abstracts and other avant-garde forms, but these
works were never selected for public showing or purchase by the museums
and other state agencies, which are the only significant patrons. The
artist, therefore, is usually forced to divide his efforts between those
works that will earn a living and those that will give vent to his
creative urge.

Although nonrepresentational art is not publicly exhibited, a
considerable degree of abstraction became acceptable in the late 1960s.
According to observers who have had contact with Bulgarian artists, the
public had grown bored with the prescribed style and content of artistic
production, and the government could no longer effectively enforce the
restrictions. Added to the difficulties of enforcement was the
increasing exposure of Bulgarians through tourism to the great variety
of contemporary art produced in Western Europe and in some of the other
communist countries. The most abstract and avant-garde painter in
Bulgaria is Genko Genkov, some of whose paintings hang in the National
Gallery in Sofia.

Graphic artists have been allowed the greatest freedom for abstraction.
By its very nature, graphic art tends to be abstract and stylized.
Graphic artists such as Maria Nedkova have succeeded in producing works
that are highly regarded both by the government and by the avant-garde
intelligentsia. Many graphic artists go back to Bulgarian medieval art
for inspiration in theme and style. Pencho Koulekov, for instance, who
is highly regarded in Bulgaria, uses the primitive two-di