His work is defined by his handling of shadow and architectural form. In pieces such as Street in Karlovo or Balcic, he uses thick paint to capture the sun hitting white stone walls. Tanev often focused on the red-tiled roofs of Bulgarian towns and the blue colour of the Black Sea. His style combines the loose brushwork of Impressionism with a structural clarity that defines the physical space of a courtyard or a monastery.

Modern collectors value Tanev for his ability to evoke a sense of place without relying on sentimentality. His depictions of locations like Innsbruck or Lake Ohrid feel immediate and honest. The compositions are balanced. They provide a window into early twentieth-century Europe. These prints offer a calm aesthetic that works well in contemporary interiors.