The first masters of Turkmen visual arts

The first masters of Turkmen visual arts

One of the main tasks of museum activity is to complete funds of Turkmen fine and applied arts. That’s why this collection is the most numerous according to quantity of exhibits, and the most various on its contents.

The development of Turkmen fine arts, in particular painting, is concerned with creative activity of Byashim Nurali (1900-1965). Having been talented student of Orient art school, opened in Ashgabat in 1920, he was expresser of transmission of folk art into professional creative activity. 

His teachers were such painters like A.Vladychuk and R.Mazel. Their high-minded creative tuitions one can judge according to not large-sized “Mail portrait” (1920) by Mazel, and according to canvases by the student of this school S.Beglyarov “Giving horses to the Red Army”, “Horse race Ashgabat-Moscow”, genre composition “Bagshi (singers)” and other works. The school preached the traditions of Russian painting of second half of XIX century and perhaps eagerly following orders of tutors, Byashim Nurali in his creative activity could keep some naiveté, proximity and folk poetic vision of world. His thematic works are characterized by solemn unity of figures, which gave calm grander to images created by him. The vivid example of it is “Kurban-Bayram”, created in 1923. Decorative-flat composition is created in traditions and manner of Orient paintings and its edge is framed by carpet designs. Female images created by him attract special attention among his numerous portraits. “Portrait of Turkmen girl” (1937) is characterized by deep poetical nobility. Painter expresses materiality of all things with great love: silky plaits, dull gleam of silver national jewelries, and softness of facture of red dress. Activating expressiveness of all means of painting, painter could emotionally show the rich inner world of the girl. 

Mostly all works created by this painter are in the collection of the museum, except some canvases kept in the Museum of Orient art in Moscow. 

O.Mizgiryova (1909-1995) made a great contribution to the development of Turkmen painting art. Her creative activity reflects the searches of national style in fine arts. The vivid example of it are her works like “Heat”, “Fourth wife”, “Turkmen girls” – where the author actively uses elements of folk art. 

In 30-s of XX century the Turkmen fine art has found out new quality, the creative activity of painters and their professional skills have been highly developed. It is mostly concerned with regular visits of painters from Moscow for working on local theme and rendering assistance to Turkmen painters. M.Saryan, K.Vyalov, N.Terpsihorov were among them, also masters as Rodnev, Dudnik, Radimov and others who came later in 40-s. Works created by them in Turkmenistan have worthy place in the collection of the museum. 

The remarkable event in development of the Turkmen fine art was the opening of art school named after Shota Rustaveli in 1934. During long period the school was like a forge of national specialists of Turkmen creative intelligentsia. 

In April, 1933 there was a unification of painters of Turkmenistan, which resulted the Union of artists, formed in 1937. To the end of 30-s, the staff of painters, who positively influenced the development of art in Turkmenistan, has been formed. 

The names of such remarkable painters as Y.Daneshvar, I.Cherinko are connected with the activity of the art school. Their creative and pedagogical activity furthered appearance of fundamental realistic works, formation of great group of national specialists of Turkmen painting, which defined the ways of development of fine arts. Works by Daneshvar “Handicraft” (1947), “To the front, for the Motherland” (1947) and “Jigits” by Cherinko, which represented in the museum exposition, entered the Golden fund of Turkmen painting. 

In 50-s the next stage of development of fine arts of Turkmenistan came, masters graduated from high educational institutions in Moscow, Leningrad, Tashkent. 

One of the brightest pages in painting of that period, and whole Turkmen art, is creative activity of Y.Gylyjov. In his numerous works, with great artistic strength and expressiveness, he created real epic of people’s life. In his first great canvas “For the best life” (1957) painter has already stated himself as a master who can solve complicated poly-sketched creative tasks. Painting is based on scene how soldiers taking leave of their relatives. Subject, rather spread in world art, is worked out by painter on national basis, attaining express true to life, realistic images. In the searches of expressive modern plasticity of works, Y.Gylyjov addressed to sources of folk art, looked for new forms of art generalization. The works created by him reflect the steps to developing the fine art of Turkmenistan. 

In 50-s such well known painters as A.Hajiyev, A.Kuliyev, N.Dovodov, Y.Annanurov, Y.Adamova, A.Amangeldiyev and others actively worked. Creative activity of each of them is meritorious to monographic, separate critical researches; each of them has made contribution to the art treasury of Turkmenistan. Different in creative directions, manners of work, they are sole in ardor to express in artistic images the life of people, realistically and true to life, demonstrating their humanistic ideas. 

The general tendency in development of Soviet art, increasing wave of its renewal, found its expression in Turkmen art. The new “severe style”, as alternative to official style of “social realism”, has formed and affirmed so-called “period of thaw” in 60-s. It is expressed, first of all, in changing of theme from parade-pompous composition into true to life scene, and also shifts of plastic explanation of works, expressed in demonstrating images in simple generalized, almost poster “severe” forms. Painters try to estimate deeply events of contemporariness, newly express images from mode of life of people. These tendencies were assumed by the new generation of Turkmen painters.

The exhibition “On the Turkmen land”, which was opened in Moscow in 1971, won great furor. The works by young painters like D.Bayramov, Sh.Akmuhamedov, S.Babikov, M.Mamedov, G.Begmyradov, Ch.Amangeldiyev and sculptor J.Jumadurdy were exhibited there. This exhibition demonstrated qualifiedly new level in Turkmen fine arts. Exactly after this exhibition in art literature it was mentioned about formation of “Turkmen school” of fine arts. Works of painters who truthfully created that period are presented in collection of our museum. We should stress such picturesque canvases among them like the paintings by Y.Bayramov, V.Pavlotsky, B.Ovganov, A.Almamedov, A.Kichikuliyev and so on. 

Along with painting, following general tendency of development of fine arts, development of Turkmen sculpture has taken place. The gallery of sculpture in collection of the museum is presented by works of A.Shetinin, B.Annamyradov, N.Atayev, S.Babayev. The collection of graphic art is rich and various. P.Znamenshikov, A.Kinyakin, H.Atakgayev, I.Ilyin are not the whole list of authors whose creations are represented in collection of the museum. 

The development of the theatre in Turkmenistan resulted in rotation of many painters to creation of costume sketches and decorations for theatre plays. Gaining of Independence of Turkmenistan gave the great opportunities for the new level of culture and art in the country. The new vision of the world, variety of technical ways is shown in recent works of painters. They reflect great historical past of the nation, praise beauty of the native land, labor and ordinary life of citizens of Independent Turkmenistan. 

Modern Turkmen painters are in continuous creative searches. They look for the new forms of expression, develop their professional skill. Painters of Turkmenistan, comparing achievements of world art in their works, use experience of development of national art, which enriched culture, and spiritual values of nation for further creation of remarkable works.