Critique by Elena Foschi
2017

PICTORIAL EFFUSIONS OF MELODIC SONATAS

On admiring the eccentric range of Alexander’s artistic creations, from sensational
watercolours to dramatic oil on canvases, one is struck by the finesse and eloquent touch of
the artist, whose personality transpires through marvellous and multi-faceted paintings.
Since the early 80’s when Alexander began his career as an artist, he has left a notable
imprint on Art, duelling and intertwining with the Great Masters of the past through his
vision and exquisite execution.
Alexander transmits a spectrum of conflicting and reflective emotions in his diverse works of
art. The viewer can admire a profound delicacy reinforced and enriched by a profusion of
meanings that, in fact offer a complex multiplicity perceivable in the texture of Alexander’s
artistic touch. Despite the abstraction of the pictorial descriptions, the viewer is always
capable of identifying different perspectives and distinct but interconnected interpretative
planes.
Analysing the intriguing foreground, punctuated by dancing geometries and mysterious
sinuous forms, our senses are captured by an orchestra of sensory stimuli as each soft hue
transforms into a concert of sweet sonatas.
“The harmony of colour and form must be based solely upon the principle of the proper
contact with the human soul” wrote Vassily Kandinsky, pioneer of non-figurative art.
Alexander Kaprichev perfectly reflects this notion in his overwhelming watercolours through
an elegant ensemble of shapes that vibrate in a timeless aura.
In fact, as in Kandinsky’s “Improvisations” and “Compositions”, Kaprichev’s conceptions
astound the viewer who is faced by an emotional synesthesia provoked by rainbows of pale
tints, musical connotations and symmetrical structures: a poem of shapes and atmospheres
that seem to arise from distant worlds.
Kaprichev’s artistry succeeds in creating a similar breathtaking effect on the spectator of
creative comprehensive and admirable communication of spirit conceived not only by the
Russian Masters but also by the abstract expressionists.
Among his watercolour works, Kaprichev features abstract interpretations of magical
surroundings and a distinctive set of symbols capable of capturing subtle expressions with
just a few lines. He explores his inner thoughts through colours and forms, creating
compositions characterised by timeless and unique elegance.
In addition, Alexander’s original paintings are characterised by energetically fractional
brushstrokes that testify a sensibility toward portraying light through the use of contrasting
warm and cool hues.
The immersive fields of colours in many of his paintings often remind us of the Abstract
Expressionist movement, in particular Barnett Newman, in that Kaprichev’s skilful touch
inspires a similar effect of completeness and harmony. Resolute blocks of correlative colours
that possess their own life force, capturing the viewer in a maze of contrasting emotions.
Each shade contains a “breath of life” through which the viewer relives the densely
structured compositions depicted by Mark Tobey as well as the emotional atmosphere of
Willem de Kooning’s abstract masterpieces.
Kaprichev’s art has no boundaries in experimentations, styles and spirits, ranging from
symbolic oils and vibrant acrylics to meditative watercolours and dynamic drawings. The
incredible legacy of this gifted painter will be cherished for years to come.

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Elena Foschi,

Art Historian, ICAC