Applied art of Turkmenistan

Applied art of Turkmenistan

The applied art is linking of art with life, esthetics with practice. Among the variety of its types the most vivid achievements of applied art of Turkmenistan are represented by carpets, carpet objects, felts, ceramics and jewelries. From time immemorial these objects of art used to be made within the territory of Turkmenistan, having been essential part of mode of life and culture of nation. High technical dignity and art perfection glorified Turkmen applied art all over the world; the creations of Turkmen masters are requested and used in trade in many countries of Asia and Europe. 

Taking into consideration that Turkmen applied art from ancient until modern times formed funds of the National museum of Turkmenistan, the collection of the museum of fine arts of Turkmenistan includes mostly exhibits created by professional artists (authors’ creations), and the works reflecting the ways of development of decorative applied art starting from XX century up to date. 

The evidence of ancient sources of carpet making, the pride of Turkmen culture, is samples of painted ceramics from Geoksur and Altyn-depe dated back to 4000- 3000 BC, and also Pazyryk carpet found in Altai in frozen kurgan. Traditionally carpets have deep red background decorated with geometrical patterns. The Turkmen carpets are characterized by legible classification according to generic and tribal attribute - teke, yomud, ersary, salyr, saryk. Each of them is differentiated by its tribal central pattern “gyol”. 

In 30-s of XX century, Turkmen carpet making has got qualitative changing with assertion of new subjects, forms and types. High artistic and technical quality of Turkmen carpets gives wide diapason for creative searches and experiments to painters. The form of subject carpets as appearance in decorative-monumental art has proved to be. Subject carpets were called to confirm new public ideas. Painters create sketches of large carpet panne: “Dance of Baloches” by S.Beglyarov (1947), “Holiday” by M.Fedura (1947), “Attack” by Matveyev (1947). 

Making new ornamented and subject carpets, the painters creatively solve tasks of this kind of art, critically worked out traditional ornamented motives, created new ones. The richest century-long traditions of Turkmen carpets are carefully kept and developed in creative activity of carpet artists as J.Shahberdiyeva, R.Bayramova, V.Gyllyyeva and others. It should be mentioned that subject carpets don’t take important place in creative activity of Turkmen artists. 

In 70-s graduates of art high schools of USSR have brought into Turkmen applied art the new type as gobelen. Having borrowed from motives, sometimes forms of traditional Turkmen carpets, the artists organically inscribed gobelen into arsenal of national creative activity. Experience and achievements of modern Turkmen painting, which combined monumental and decorative basis, are successfully used in gobelen. Having worked in technique of flat weaving in the beginning, the gobelen artists later started to use more allegedly different technical methods, using various facture peculiarities of material. A.Atayev in his works “Masters” (1971) and “Summer” (1978) skillfully used coloring contrasts of  bright blue, green and red. Works by V.Gyllyyeva can be compared with frescoes. Her gobelen is differentiated by coloring completeness, richness of color nuances, and elegancy of plastic decision. In the gobelen “Girls from Caspian”, flex slim figures of three girls are expressed in golden brown gamma, being combined with boundless emerald background, embodying seascape. 

A.Hojagulyyev in his creative activity was faithful to the technique of classic gobelin and aspired to modest precise coloring, avoiding garish color contrast. Avoiding traditional rectangular forms, the artist finds extraordinary contour of his works. Images, created by artist in gobelin “Orient” (1983), “Holiday” (1983) are originally poetic. A. Hojagulyyev often worked in creative unity with his wife Sulgun, the author of gobelin “Weaver” (1989) and “Before holiday” (1987). The gobelin “Garden of life” (1987), represented in the collection of the museum, is their compatible work.

K.Bayliyev is a master of fine beautiful colored gobelin, like “Potter” (1980) and “Shepherd’s melody” (1980) where he skillfully used characteristics of different materials, which strengthened impression of virtuosity of the work.  Turkmen jewelries keep specific particular coloring of ancient culture. Several generations of jewelers created traditions of this type of folk art. The art way of jewelry works are relevant to images of folk creative activity. Lots of great Turkmen poets, like Magtymguly, Zelili, Magrupy were also skillful jewelers. It is said in old Turkmen song: “When geese are in the sky, their voices are fulfilling the air, when girls go to river, ringing of their jewelries are fulfilling the air”. The skill and original artistic taste of Turkmen masters, expressing their notion on beauty is developed in jewelry art. 

Modern artists, jewelers, whose works are represented in the collection of the museum, try to express new treating of traditional forms and ornamented motives, keeping and developing national peculiarities. The important sphere of their activity is female jewelries. That is the female jewelries, which can express artistic and esthetic principles of folk jewelry art so complete and relief. The most popular is “gulyaka”- round brooch as clasp on collar of dress. Works by K.Atayev “Shelpeli gulyaka”, B.Gurbangeldiyev gulyaka “Peace”, S.Rahmanov gulyaka “Dawn” are made of silver and richly decorated with precious and semiprecious stones. There are also fine works by A.Atayev, G.Amangeldiyev, A.Amangulyyev and others. Adornments consisting of belt and necklace, pendant and bracelets are widely represented in the collection of the museum. As a rule they are made of nickel silver or silver with gilding, decorated with cornelian, turquoise or colored glass. The national shades are expressed in their form and content. That’s why jewelries made by Turkmen zergers (jewelers) are a match for national and modern dresses.

Ceramic works have significant place in the collection of the museum. 

Original ceramic compositions by A.Shetinin, M.Atayeva, A.Taganov, S.Muhammedova are elegant and inimitable by their colors.

The works by S.Muhammedova “Ladies”, “Epic”, “Akhalteke horses” have poetic orient images, they are marked out sculptural significance and plastic gracefulness. Decorative vases and dishes by M.Atayeva show various emotions with their form; they are characterized by lyric contemplation and interpretation of Turkmen folk art.