We Keep Our Own Understanding of the Time a Secret, Don’t Try Understand Mine
We Keep Our Own Understanding of the Time a Secret, Don’t Try Understand Mine / Всеки пази в тайна как разкодира времето, не се опитвай да разбереш как аз успявам (1-6)
black lumograph pencil, acrylic and sanguine on paper
Size: 29.5 x 42 cm, Anton Terziev, 2023
Title credit: Svetoslav Todorov - editor, correspondent, writer
Collaborating since 2019
Courtesy of the artist
Photo the artist
Part of No Time For Losers series of drawings, paintings and objects (2019-)
This striking erotic composition engages in a compelling dialogue between corporeality, temporality, and self-possession. The artist employs an expressive, almost visceral technique, utilizing bold gestural brushstrokes to render the human form with raw intensity. The juxtaposition of white highlights and deep red hues evokes both anatomical realism and an almost sculptural tactility, recalling the dramatic chiaroscuro of Baroque masters while remaining firmly rooted in contemporary figuration.
Central to the composition is the motif of the pocket watch, strategically embedded within the subject’s intimate anatomy. This symbolic intervention suggests an interrogation of time as both a physical and psychological construct—an artifact of control and inevitability, yet also a deeply personal and embodied experience. The hands, adorned with black-polished nails, function as both a framing device and a means of self-possession, reinforcing themes of agency and introspection.
By positioning the erotic within the realm of existential contemplation, the work transcends mere provocation and instead engages with a broader discourse on the transience of flesh, desire, and the inexorable passage of time. In doing so, it aligns itself with traditions of vanitas imagery, albeit through a subversive and deeply intimate lens.
We Keep Our Own Understanding of the Time a Secret, Don’t Try Understand Mine / Всеки пази в тайна как разкодира времето, не се опитвай да разбереш как аз успявам (2-6)
black lumograph pencil, acrylic and sanguine on paper
Size: 25 x 36.7 cm, Anton Terziev, 2023
Title credit: Svetoslav Todorov - editor, correspondent, writer
Collaborating since 2019
Courtesy of the artist
Photo the artist
Part of No Time For Losers series of drawings, paintings and objects (2019-)
This erotic artwork merges sensuality with symbolism, using expressive brushstrokes and a rich texture to evoke a deep emotional and conceptual response. A pocket watch, embedded in the figure, acts as a striking metaphor for time, desire, and the ephemeral nature of human experience. The contrasting palette of dark and light tones, along with bold red and white highlights, enhances the dramatic intensity of the piece. The hands, adorned with black nail polish, introduce an additional layer of character and identity, suggesting themes of power, possession, or introspection. The artwork challenges the viewer to interpret its meaning, balancing between eroticism and a profound reflection on time, control, and the body’s role as a vessel of experience.
We Keep Our Own Understanding of the Time a Secret, Don’t Try Understand Mine / Всеки пази в тайна как разкодира времето, не се опитвай да разбереш как аз успявам (3-6)
black lumograph pencil, acrylic and sanguine on paper
Size: 26 x 39.8 cm, Anton Terziev, 2023
Title credit: Svetoslav Todorov - editor, correspondent, writer
Collaborating since 2019
Courtesy of the artist
Photo the artist
Part of No Time For Losers series of drawings, paintings and objects (2019-)
This erotic artwork combines elements of intimacy, time, and symbolism. A pocket watch is embedded within the figure, acting as a striking metaphor for the passage of time, control, and personal experience.
The raw, expressive brushstrokes create a sense of depth, movement, and intensity, emphasizing the physicality of the moment. The color palette, dominated by earthy tones with red and white highlights, enhances the dramatic contrast and emotional weight of the piece.
The watch represent a sense of temporality, the fleeting nature of passion, or the way time shapes human experiences. The artwork challenges the viewer to interpret its deeper meaning, blurring the line between sensuality and existential reflection.
We Keep Our Own Understanding of the Time a Secret, Don’t Try Understand Mine / Всеки пази в тайна как разкодира времето, не се опитвай да разбереш как аз успявам (4-6)
black lumograph pencil, acrylic and sanguine on paper
Size: 29.5 x 38.5 cm, Anton Terziev, 05.08.2023
Title credit: Svetoslav Todorov - editor, correspondent, writer
Collaborating since 2019
Courtesy of the artist
Photo the artist
Part of No Time For Losers series of drawings, paintings and objects (2019-)
This drawing explores intimacy and the relationship between time and the body. The style of the drawing is highly textured, with intense lines and expressive color accents that highlight both the physicality and emotionality of the piece. The image isn't just erotic but fits into a context of individuality and personal secrets related to one's perception of time.
The watch could symbolize the idea of control over one's personal life, while the hands convey a sense of possession and protection of the inner world. The overall composition creates a feeling of strong emotional depth and intimacy.
We Keep Our Own Understanding of the Balance a Secret, Don’t Try Understand Mine/ Всеки пази в тайна как пази баланс, не се опитвай да разбереш как аз успявам - 21.5 x 31.5 cm, 2023, Anton Terziev
Courtesy of the artist
Photo the artist
In a serie with Some Sort of Status Quo , Futura Balance , Here the Memories Come in Waves and Situation Normal All Fucked Up
Part of No Time For Losers series of drawings, paintings and objects (2019-)
This visually striking and conceptually provocative drawing combines eroticism with elements of surrealism, using a close-up view of a human form to explore themes of body, perception, and perhaps even control or surveillance. The focal point of the composition is a rendered with vivid, textured lines that create a sense of both tactile intimacy and exaggerated sensuality. The colors used in the piece are rich, almost iridescent, with hues of red, purple, yellow, and green, offering a dynamic visual experience that suggests both movement and depth.
At the center of this anatomical focus is a rather unexpected and disruptive object: a spirit level (a bubble level) inserted into the middle of the body. This surreal insertion adds a layer of irony and detachment to the work. The spirit level, an object typically used for measuring balance and alignment, introduces a tension between the intimate, organic forms of the body and the cold, precise, mechanical nature of the tool. This choice of object can be interpreted in multiple ways—perhaps it points to the desire for control or "correctness" in a sexual or physical context, or it may serve as a commentary on the ways in which the body is scrutinized or objectified by society.
The overall visual experience feels almost voyeuristic, as if the viewer is looking in on a highly personal, private moment. The artist’s use of sharp, contrasting strokes around the figure enhances this sense of intimacy, while the mechanical intrusion of the spirit level forces the viewer to reconsider the boundary between the natural and the artificial, the sensual and the analytical. The body is both present and distorted—erotic and vulnerable—inviting a deep reflection on how we perceive our own physicality and the external forces that shape our understanding of it.
On a formal level, the piece is a masterful study in texture and color. The use of crosshatching and layered strokes brings a sense of immediacy and intensity to the work. The vivid rendering of the flesh is contrasted with the clean, almost jarring, geometric form of the spirit level, which serves as an anchor, disrupting the flow and sensuality of the body. This juxtaposition amplifies the erotic subject matter by introducing an element of dissonance, forcing the viewer to confront the complexity and multiplicity of human experience—where desire, control, and vulnerability intersect.
In sum, this piece is an exploration of eroticism through an almost absurdist lens, where the beauty of the human form is simultaneously celebrated and interrupted. The artist engages with the tension between natural eroticism and mechanical intervention, inviting the viewer to examine how our intimate experiences are framed, judged, and influenced by both internal desires and external constructs.
We Keep Our Own Understanding of the Time a Secret, Don’t Try Understand Mine / Всеки пази в тайна как разкодира времето, не се опитвай да разбереш как аз успявам (5-6)
pencil on 300lb Fabriano Artistico paper
Size: 25 x 38.5 cm, Anton Terziev, 2024
Title credit: Svetoslav Todorov - editor, correspondent, writer
Collaborating since 2019
Courtesy of the artist
Photo the artist
This beautiful piece of art by Anton Terziev utilizes intricate shading and detail to create a compelling, intimate, and slightly unsettling visual narrative. The watch, with its symbolic relationship to time, becomes a point of tension as it intersects with the human form, hinting at an underlying theme of the private or hidden nature of time.
The sexual undertones in "We Keep Our Own Understanding of the Time a Secret, Don’t Try Understand Mine " are emphasized through the positioning of the hands and the body, which is suggestive yet ambiguous. The use of the watch might symbolize control, pressure, or a deeper personal relationship with time, possibly conveying a tension between how time is perceived versus how it is imposed. The hands' delicate but firm placement adds an emotional layer, perhaps invoking themes of possession, intimacy, or vulnerability.
In terms of technique, the artist uses careful shading and high contrast to build texture and depth, giving the drawing a tactile, almost three-dimensional quality. The texture on the skin and watch is rendered with precision, guiding the viewer’s eye towards the focal point—time itself. The drawing feels voyeuristic, as if the viewer is intruding on a moment that should be private or unspoken.
Overall, "We Keep Our Own Understanding of the Time a Secret, Don’t Try Understand Mine " explores themes of intimacy, time, and control, using the body and a timepiece to evoke a sense of secrecy and personal space that may be both erotic and introspective. It asks the viewer to contemplate the nature of these themes, not to seek understanding but perhaps to accept the ambiguity and complexity of human experience.