Life As Art Ph.D

Great people

Gulrena QAJAR Life as art Ph.D. of Art history

THIS ARTICLE WAS BORN OUT OF MANY YEARS OF ADMIRATION FOR THE PAINTINGS OF MIKAYIL ABDULLAYEV, RESPECT FOR HIS PERSONALITY AND SENSE OF PRIDE IN ACQUAINTANCE WITH THE MASTER.

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Mikayil Abdullayev

Illustration for the “Dada Gorgud” epic

what can you write about pedic knowledge of culture, fantastic he knew from travel, books, and his Mikayil muallim in a small memory and knowledge of Eastern own observations and reﬂ ections. Soarticle? Biographical facts, poetry and music? He knew how to Mikayil Abdullayev is a very milestones of creative work and heri- talk very nicely. He knew a lot and was bright, serious and dramatic paint- tage that has become the property of able to put it in an admirable form, be- er, even in the most unsophisticated the nation? His face, shrewd look, the witching the listener with his speech and simple genre paintings. They French beret etched in the memory – and attractiveness of his personality. are permeated by the profound dra- an attribute of free bohemia? Encyclo- He was happy to tell about the world ma of life that can be seen through a

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talented guys - future outstanding painters Ogtay Sadikhzadeh, Boyuka- ga Mirzazadeh Abdul Khaliq and Gafar Seyfullayev. The talented Azerbaijani painter Azim Azimzadeh played an important role in the establishment of Mikayil as he sent him to an art college at the age of 14 in 1935. In 1938, the 17-year-old Mikayil participated in the spring republican exhibition with the landscape “In Mardakan”. After graduating from college in 1939, he entered the painting department of the Surikov Moscow State Art Institute. “Sevinj”. Canvas, oil paints, 1956 In an article published in the central Moscow magazine Iskusstvo in 1940, powerful composition with its strong He lived a happy life in arts ... Truly the well-known painter, teacher and typical plastic painting, line, picture happy are only those who work out rector of the institute, I. E. Grabar, men- and fi gurativeness. The harmony in of an irresistible inner need, not out tioned him among the best students. plastic, the softness in shape modeling of selfi sh ambitions, incentives in the But the institute was evacuated as and the fi nest silver color range charac- form of material wealth or fame - the Great Patriotic War began. Mikayil teristic of his style always highlighted ephemeral things, if we take a wider had to interrupt his studies and return his work at Soviet exhibitions. His pal- look at them. This incomparable home, but he was already infected ettes have no open bright colors, but sense of freedom and indepen- with creativity and constantly worked the gray colors were very bright and dence from anything in the pro- and learnt professionalism with inspi- harmonious and emitted light. The cess of creative work is the fate of ration and selfl essness. In 1943, his composition of paintings, the location select lucky people. They are not bur- work was put on display at an exhi- of fi gures in them and the solution of dened with hard creative work, and it bition at the State Tretyakov Gallery plans diff er for their originality. is the sole predestined way to achieve in Moscow. In general, the years of beauty. war proved to be extremely inter- He was gifted by God, his paint- esting for Mikayil Abdullayev: he ing was subtle, refi ned, harmonious, writes a lot of paintings, landscapes calm and joyful. He is not like anyone, and large compositions based on is independent from any taste in art poems by Nizami whose 800th an- and did not imitate any great artist or niversary was celebrated in the So- trend as young people usually do. He viet Union. He also writes portraits of just went his own way - through tire- wounded soldiers, historical compo- less work, searching for his own face sitions, art panels, campaign posters in arts, identifying individual aptitudes and is involved in military patronage. and expressing their understanding of In 1943-44, he wrote remarkably harmony and beauty. That is why he deep and lively portraits of Azerbai- immediately became noticeable dur- jani cultural fi gures. Among them is ing his studies at college. He already the only lifetime portrait of Azerbai- knew the basics of painting, composi- jani music luminary Uzeyir Hajibayov, tion and arts – that is how seemingly portraits of the great poet Samad Vur- easily he did everything! But it was gun, writer Mirza Ibrahimov, scholar certainly very diffi cult, and his eyesight and historian Sara Ashurbayli, actress left something to be desired. At col- Marziya Davudova and singer Shovkat lege, he was in the same group as very Mammadova, as well as a number of

52 “Girls on a rice ﬁ eld”. www.irs-az.com Canvas, oil paints, 1970

Heritage_1_(12)_2013_last.indd 52 1/29/13 3:43 PM “Samad Vurgun”. Canvas, oil paints, 1956 lyrical portraits of women - “My Moth- er”, “Zahra Khanum”, “Zemﬁ ra”, etc. After the war, Mikayil Abdullayev continued his studies in the Moscow studio of Sergey Gerasimov, a talented Soviet painter and teacher, who valued independence and individuality most of all in his students. As a fourth- year student, Abdullayev creates the painting “Evening” during a summer course in his native Kara- bakh, which became a landmark in his work and conquered even his teachers. It caused deep repercus- sions among viewers with its emo- tion, wonderful simplicity of feelings, delightful mood of love, peace and joy from the beauty of life. The painting depicts Karabakh women returning from work on a country road at sun- set, is full of light and shines with the kindness and silver pearl palette of the painter. In 1949, Mikayil Abdullayev suc- cessfully completes his education, returns to Baku and begins work with joyful ecstasy on a series of paintings devoted to post-war industrial construction. The celebration of creation – this is the main theme of interest for the painter now. The largest Min- gachevir hydroelectric power plant of the Caucasus built at that time appeared in Abdullayev’s paintings as a romantic combination of nature, man and technology. The press noted that with Abdullayev’s help, the motif of a landscape with the lights of new build- ings became one of the most popular subjects of the Soviet landscape painting of the postwar years. According to Sa- mad Vurgun, during the construction of the Mingachevir hydroelectric power plant, simple country boys “compre- hended the language of machines”, plunging into the “divine work of creat- ing order out of chaos”. Mikayil Abdul- layev managed to embody this poetry of labor in his works warmly, simply,

www.irs-az.com “Trial of Nasimi”. 53 Canvas, oil paints, 1970

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sincerely and with great professional- by lush southern nature and fl ooded ism. These are “Mingachevir Lights” with dazzling hot sunlight. The picture (1948), “Terror in the South” (1950), has nothing that would resemble a Eu- “On the Banks of the Kura River”, ropean open-air or impressionism, but “Born at the Sea” (1954), “Build- a truly inspiring hymn is sung for the joy ers of Happiness” (1951), “Friends” of being and never-ending happiness.” (1953), and deeply personal, po- In 1958, for the painting “Joy” and etic portraits “My Mother” (1951), a series of Indian sketches, the painter “In the Morning. The Painter’s Wife” was awarded a medal and diploma of (1952),”Before the Mirror” (1955), the Soviet Academy of Arts. A distin- “Still Life with a Musk-Melon” guishing feature of Abdullayev’s work (1955),”Team Leader Rakhshanda” in this period is the intense fl avor that (1956), “For the Child”, “Joy” (1956). enhances the emotional content of The latter picture is the quintessence a picture, ringing, decorative palette, of the painter’s plastic and color quest and in-depth and energetic attitude. and embodies the ideal of the Azerbai- He continues a series of portraits “Indian women”. jani Madonna, a woman and mother of cultural fi gures - poet Suleyman Canvas, oil paints, 1959-1960 deeply connected with her native land Rustam, dancer Amina Dilbazi, writer oped the Indian theme, to which he and surrounding nature. This painting Hasan Seyidbayli and poet Samad Vur- devoted about 500 paintings and caused a great resonance in the All- gun. They are all full of romanticism graphic works. In 1971, M. Abdullayev Union Exhibition for the 40th Anni- and true love for models. was awarded the international Jawa- versary of the October Revolution A very important place in the harlal Nehru Prize. “This is the fi rst time and at the World Art Exhibition in painter’s creative work is taken by his that I’ve seen such sincere and expert Brussels in 1958. Academician Grabar foreign experiences expressed in works about my country, and they are wrote in Iskusstvo magazine: “Here is a the long series “In Italy”, “In Hunga- infi nitely dear to me as an Indian. This large canvas by M. Abdullayev named ry” and “In India”. Each of these cul- artist feels my people with his heart,” ‘Joy’ by the painter. It is extremely rich in tures left a deep mark on his art: Italian Indian Ambassador to the USSR Dhar color and light. It depicts a woman with landscapes and museums, Hungarian said. a child sitting in a meadow, surrounded cities and girls, and colorful Indian In the 1960’s - and this is the im- life. But most of all, he develops the perative of time – the decorative Indian theme, as it was closer to him beginning and small-scale and inti- than the others. “I was surrounded by mate tones become stronger in his the same warm, earth colors, the same art. These are portraits, landscapes rhythmic structure of color that created and psychological compositions. familiar harmony for me. India strikes The elderly couple in the picture “In with its variety of types,” he wrote after Absheron” (1964) is a vivid illustration a visit to that country in 1957. Abdul- of the deep changes that took place layev’s watchful eye on India is fresh, in the painter’s work and his improve- emotional, insightful and, as always ment. The same depth and spirituality harmonious. The streets and squares is in the lyrical landscapes “Karabakh”, of Delhi and Calcutta, the temples of “Goygol”, etc. Jaipur and Agra, the muddy waters Mikayil Abdullayev’s fame grew, of the Ganges and people around - and his exhibitions were held in Baku, beautiful women in expensive color- Moscow, Berlin, Leipzig, Warsaw and ful clothes, beggars in search of work, Delhi. The Leipzig publishing house proud Bengali girls and little boys: the Zeman produces an album of the “Soldier” (right-hand section of the spiritual beauty and richness of a great painter’s reproductions - it was a huge “Azerbaijani fi elds” triptych). nation are visible in all of them. victory for Azerbaijani art. Started in Canvas, oil paints, 1964-1965 For 30 years, the painter devel- the 1960’s, the series of works “My

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Heritage_1_(12)_2013_last.indd 54 1/29/13 3:43 PM Mosaic based on Mikayil Abdullayev’s painting in the Nizami underground station in Baku Countrymen” showed the true Azer- baijani nature of Mikayil Abdullayev’s art. He is interested in the great culture of the people and carefully examines the historical-literary, ethnographic, epistolary sources of the Middle Ages, working on the images of Nasimi, Nizami, Ajami, Tusi, Ibn Sina, Sultan Juneyd, Ashig Alasgar, Babak and others. He is a brilliant connoisseur of leg- endary epics, folk characters, classical Azerbaijani poetry and music, and all the artistic heritage of the East. Admir- ing the grandeur of the monuments of ancient architecture, elegance and aesthetic power of medieval minia- tures, brilliant conciseness and decorative rugs, harmonious perfection of classical poetry and mugham, he in- novatively expresses it in the illustra- deal with many problems and actually articles always raised problems and tions to the national heroic epic “Dada help ordinary people. He was friends carried analysis, while the breadth of Gorgud” and Fizuli’s poem “Layla and with composers and writers, scientists vision and world outlook allowed him Majnun” made in the tradition of min- and ordinary workers – in all of them, to accurately locate an original path iatures. Credit for the revival of inter- he was interested in the depth of their to the solution of real problems. His est in Azerbaijan miniature rightfully character and did not diff erentiate be- memoirs are written in a live, fresh, belongs to Mikayil Abdullayev, the ap- tween people because of their posi- expressive language and have a lot of pearance of these illustrations in 1958 tions. For him, there was no structural amazing observations and rare infor- was an event in the easel and book hierarchy and ambitions. mation such as his work on a portrait graphics of our country. He painted portraits of paint- of Indira Gandhi - then the portrait was In a small magazine article, it is im- ers Guttuso and Manzu, composers presented to her as a gift by Brezhnev. possible to cover the entire range of in- Shostakovich and Amirov, writers He had an amazing sense of hu- terests of the outstanding painter and Moravia and Aytmatov, many, many mor, he told funny stories and jokes, to describe his immense legacy. He women and men. He was interested and easily found a common language was kind, simple, and did a lot of work in theater - he created the stage de- with people. He possessed a quality on himself. He was loved, respected sign for Hajibayov’s operas and Niyazi’s that was rare for a painter – he willing- and valued by many. He associated ballet “Chitra”, as well as monumental ly showed his colleagues unfi nished with many famous people of his time: mosaics on Nizami’s “Khamsah” for a pictures and did not take off ense at Giacomo Manzu and Renato Gut- Baku metro station. their comments, but rather listened to tuso, Alberto Moravia and Chingiz Mikayil Abdullayev is a wonderful them carefully and helped his fellow Aytmatov, Veymarn and Alpatova, teacher who trained many students, painters. He was a man of outstanding Kagan and Chegodayev, Vuchetich including prominent painters. He talent, sophisticated yet easy to com- and Ugarov, Deyneka and Chuykov, was the fi rst Azerbaijani painter municate, had a sharp mind, a sense Gerasimov and Grabar, Garayev awarded the title of People’s Artist of humor, and was passionate about and Amirov, Hajibayov and Niyazi, of the USSR and an active member painting, to which he devoted his life. Shovkat Mammadova and Sara of the Soviet Academy of Arts. The great English artist and art Ashurbayli, Samad Vurgun and Ra- He is the only painter, apart from critic Sir Ernest Gombrich once said: sul Rza, Rustam Ibrahimbayov and Tahir Salahov, who actively and “There really is no such thing as art. Sattar Bahlulzadeh. As a member of genuinely appeared in the press. There are only artists.” the Supreme Council, he was able to His three books and more than 200

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