Anelia Pavlova

Anelia Pavlova , also known as Annael, is a Bulgarian-born Australian artist. She was born in Sofia, Bulgaria in 1956, and in 1993 moved to Adelaide, South Australia. Her best known image is the Semillon label for the Semillon wine in the Peter Lehmann Wines "Art Series" range.

Her works are permanently present in well-known public and private collections such as the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, Russia, the National Art Gallery in Sofia, Bulgaria, University of Adelaide Art Collection in South Australia, Sony Corporation USA and others. She is also the recipient of a number of prestigious awards for her labels and illustrations, such as the Grand Finalist Award for illustration (Wine packaging) in the 25th Adelaide Art Directors Club Award and the 1998 Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA) Award for corporate illustration.

In the past Pavlova has worked in various artistic mediums and forms of expression such as printmaking, illustration, ceramics, icons and oil painting. Her main medium is oil painting.

"Beauty and wonder are an integral part of her art, not so much in its fantastical aspect, more so in its ... unique viewpoint, [in its] perspective of life".

In 2007 the artist was interviewed in a dedicated segment on the Bulgarian bTV program "The Other Bulgaria".

From 2010 the artist has begun using the pseudonym "Annael" (derived from "Anael", the name of an Angel in Christian and Judaic traditions).

Wine labels

Peter Lehmann Semillon label controversy

A widely documented controversy surrounding the label occurred when Anelia Pavlova was asked to cover the bare breasts of the Semillon lady. Although the image itself is abstract, this was done to appease the import regulations of the British and US government agencies. Brangayne of Orange and Canonbah Bridge. which was used in all subsequent monoprints. In printmaking this is regarded as a very significant achievement, because of the limitation of that artistic medium. Her monoprints are described as oil painting brought to the world of printmaking by a number of reviewers – "... creating graphic art with the tonal intensity of oil paintings", (e.g. “Anelia Pavlova – Garden of Virtues”, Australian Art Review ), each of which has a descriptive title.

As with her prints, her paintings take inspiration from the Old European Masters, though no longer as re-interpretations but as a general, ideal influence ("the older culture comes built into my personality" on the cover and booklet of a CD recording with Weinberg's 24 Preludes for Solo Cello on the Divox label, as well as to online music reviews. Four of her paintings were printed on greeting cards produced by Pomegranate in the USA.

Her paintings have been described as "images with shimmering and luxuriant surfaces evoking the rich and sumptuous art of the late medieval period. Her canvases are full of magical, luminous beings, and she imbues each work with both medieval and contemporary metaphysical meaning.".

In style, the paintings fuse elements of modern art with older styles passing all the way back to the Orthodox icon. Their themes are broadly concerned with abstract metaphysical and theological messages as well as figurative, almost mythological, Nature-inspired scenes. Musical instruments are present in a number of paintings, according with Pavlova's interest in classical music. "The wealth of subjects, motives, symbols and forms from different cultures and times is a challenge that A. Pavlova cannot resist ... history as a mere fact does not captivate her ... but rather as a materialization of the spiritual in the characters which come alive through the subjective interpretation and individual context." Beauty and love are integral principles of her work, as well as a fascination with the Natural world.