Keraca Visulčeva (also transliterated as Keratza; in Cyrillic: Кераца Висулчева), (7 April 1911–13 January 2004) was a Macedonian and Bulgarian[1] artist who was born in Nestram, in the Manastir Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire. Her family moved to Pomorie, Bulgaria, during the Balkan wars, as many Macedonian immigrants did during the same period.[2]

Keraca Visulčeva
Keratza Vissoulcheva
Кераца Висулчева
(Margarita Hristova, 2009)
Born(1911-04-07)7 April 1911
Died13 January 2004(2004-01-13) (aged 92)
NationalityOttoman, Bulgarian and Macedonian
EducationAcademy of Fine Arts, Sofia, Bulgaria, (1935)
Known forFine Art, oil paintings, then sculpture
MovementContemporary Art, Figurative art

Education and career

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After studying under Stefan Ivanov (drawing) and Nikola Ganushev and Boris Mitov (painting), she graduated at the Sofia Fine Arts Academy.[3]

In 1935 during her first exhibit, and the great Bulgarian artist Ivan Mrkvicka noticed her talent, and she became a member of the Union of Bulgarian Artists.[2]

Between 1941 and 1944, during the Bulgarian occupation of Macedonia, she taught at the Queen Giovanna Girls' High School in Skopje.[2] After that she moved back to the old borders of Bulgaria, where she lived until 1996.[3]

In 1955 she participated in the exhibition of Bulgarian contemporary art in the state art gallery in Plovdiv. However, after the political changes in 1958, she was expelled from the Union of Bulgarian Artists.[2] From that point on she started signing her paintings with her name written with the Latin script: Keratza. In 1965 she traveled to France and participated in a few French exhibitions.[2]

After the fall of Communism in 1989, she was readmitted to the Union of Bulgarian Artists, as a former member.[2]

In 1996, she moved again to Skopje with the assistance of numerous intellectuals, academics, ambassadors, art historians in exchange for her donation of around 400 drawings, oil and sculptures to the newly created Republic of Macedonia.[4]

The first solo exhibition of Museum of Macedonia in 2002. Thirty-six works out of about 500 paintings were included in the collection. The exhibition was opened by Macedonian artist Gligor Cemerski.[5]

Artist style

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Her favorite genres are landscapes and portraits, the most impressive segments of her work were dominated by realism or impressionist manner.[3]

 
The Resen of Ahmed Niyazi Bey in the township of Resen with Keraca's heritage

References

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  1. ^ Цвета Петрова, Българските художнички графички през 30-те и 40-те години на XX век. сп. Визуални изкуства и музика, том 1 (2020), ISSN 2683-1392, СУ "Св. Кл. Охридски" стр. 54-73 (56). Tsveta Petrova, Bulgarian women graphic artists in the 1930s and 1940s. Visual arts and music magazine, volume 1 (2020), ISSN 2683-1392, Sofia University "St. Kl. Ohridski" pp. 54-73 (56).
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Biography of Keraca Visulceva". Center for Digitization of National Heritage, Institute of Informatics. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  3. ^ a b c "Today at the Museum of Macedonia - Exhibition of Works by Kiraca Visulceva". Culture: Republic of Macedonia. Archived from the original on 13 August 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  4. ^ "Exhibition of Keraca Visulceva in Macedonian Academy of Science and Arts (MANU)- First Academic Lady exhibits in Macedonia". Culture: Republic of Macedonia. Archived from the original on 13 August 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  5. ^ "At the Museum of Macedonia - First Presentation of Visulceva's Works". Culture: Republic of Macedonia. Archived from the original on 13 August 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
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