1889 – Born on 12 (25) March in Sofia; his father, Georgi, was a Sofianite; his mother, Maria, was born in Niš; he had two brothers, Milan and Dimitar.

1906 – Enrolled in the State School of Drawing in Sofia. In his first semester, he participated in an autumn landscape competition, winning second prize. In the winter landscape competition announced during the Christmas vacation, he was awarded two prizes—first and second.

1907 – Exhibited several aquarelles at Olchev’s Bookshop in Sofia.

1908 – Owing to straitened circumstances, he was forced to abandon his education. He moved to Odessa, where he joined, as a singer, the choir of the Andreevskoe Podvorie Monastery; later, he left the monastery. As a freelance artist, he offered his works and commissioned copies of paintings by famous artists to bookshops.

1909 – He left for Moscow, where he visited the Tretyakov Gallery and the Rumyantsev Museum and became acquainted with writer David Maksimchuk, a close friend of Leo Tolstoy.

1909–1910 – Following his return to Bulgaria, he continued his education at the School of Drawing.

1910 – He exhibited four aquarelles at the Trapkov Gallery, which were immediately bought. During the summer, he painted in Pavlikeni, Sevlievo, Gabrovo and Tarnovo.

1911 – His first solo exhibition at the School of Drawing in Sofia, highly praised by viewers and the critics.

1912 – He travelled and painted around Western Europe, visiting Vienna, Munich, Paris, London, Geneva, Lausanne, Venice, Fiume (present day Rijeka), Zagreb, returning to Sofia via Belgrade.

1912–1913 – He took part in the First and Second Balkan Wars.

1915 – He held a solo exhibition in Sofia in the spring. In June, he graduated from the School of Drawing under Prof. Ivan Mrkvička.

1915–1918 – He served as a war artist during the First World War, on the Macedonian and Dobrudzha fronts.

1916 – He participated with works on war thematics in the Bulgarian section of the major exhibition of the Allied Countries in the First World War, which opened on 11 May in Berlin. Remained there throughout June and July with a group of Bulgarian artists. He also exhibited in the Second Berlin War Exhibition, held in 1917.

1919 – A founding memeber of the Native Art Society. He arranged his third solo exhibition in Sofia. He was awarded the Silver Cross for his participation in the First World War.

1922–1923 – He travelled around Germany for eleven months, visiting Munich and the Bavarian Alps.

 

1926 – He went to Piraeus, the Island of Santorini, Alexandria, Cairo, Jaffa, Jerusalem, Kalymnos Island, and the Dardanelles. In October, he presented his fourth solo exhibition at the Trapkov Gallery.

1929 – He married Sonya Stoykova. One year later, his first daughter, Vesela, was born and, in 1933, Bogdana, his second.

1935 – Tenth solo exhibition also celebrating 25 years of creative work of the artist at the Aksakov Gallery in Sofia. Awarded the Order of Saint Alexander, 4th Class.

1941 – Participated in the travelling ‘Exhibition of Bulgarian Artists in Germany’, first held in Berlin. Visited Macedonia; painted in Ohrid, Skopje and Thessaloniki.

1942 – Visited Mount Athos, creating a cycle of watercolour landscapes.

1943 – Solo exhibition: ‘The Four Seasons’.

1944 – His home was destroyed in the Sofia bombings; he moved to Varna with his family. Arrested by the new authorities, he spent five months in the Central Prison. His Sofia residence was revoked and he was expelled from the Union of Bulgarian Artists.

1945 – He was granted a permit and certificates allowing him to paint along the Varna seacoast.

1948 – Participated in a General Art Exhibition of Varna artists.

1949 – He arranged his solo exhibition, ‘Philharmonic Society’, in Sofia.

1953 – His membership of the Union of Bulgarian Artists was restored.

1954 – 15th solo exhibition, Sofia.

1955 – 16th solo exhibition, Varna.

1956 – 17th solo exhibition, Plovdiv.

1958 – His family moved from Varna to Sofia. Organised his 18th solo exhibition in Sofia.

1959 – Along with Alexander Bozhinov, he worked on the painting of the monument on Stoletov Peak (present day Shipka Peak).

1960 – 9 October: Jubilee Exhibition on the occasion of 70 years since his birth and 50 years of creative work; awarded the Order of Cyril and Methodius, 1st Class.

1961 – Konstantin Shtarkelov died on 29 April in Sofia.