Violeta Maslarova

Who was Violeta Maslarova?

Violeta Christova Maslarova was a noted Bulgarian artist known for her romantic and moody seascapes. Along with Georgi Baev and Kiril Simeonov she was often referred to as one of the 'Bourgas Colourists'. Her career spanned both the communist and the capitalist era of Bulgaria with mixed effects on her art and career.

Violeta Christova Maslaraova was born to a poor family in Bourgas, Bulgaria. Her father, Christo Buchvarov was a builder who succumbed at a relatively young age to severe Parkinson's Disease, brought on according to family tradition by business failure caused by his partner's embezzlement, which left him a partial invalid. Zhetchka, her mother, kept the family by selling flower pots and cultivating vegetables.

Violeta showed and early aptitude for drawing. This was encouraged by her teachers and her mother. She was admitted to the art academy in Sofia in 1944, where she studied under Professor Detchko Ouzounov, himself a friend of Jules Pascin, with whom he had studied painting in Berlin.

Following graduation Violeta married the lawyer Dimiter Nikolov Maslarov. Her paintings were very well received and she was admitted to the Union of Bulgarian Artists.