Page 36 - DIVA_1_2007_No.28

Mirjavadov M.M. Moonlight night
Oil, canvas 100x8O

Saditizada T.S. Gobustan view
Oil, canvas 89x80

L to R: His Excellency Mr. Elchin Amirbayov
Ambassador, Republic of Azerbaijan and Mr. Adalat Valiyev Deputy Minister of Culture

Famous Azerbaijani artist with its dozens of kilometers and apply miniature art tradi-
Sattar Bahlulzade con- of roadway built up on tres- tions, mythological themes,
tributed his share to the fur- tles and piers in the Caspian, conditional
schematic
development
of
off the coast of Azerbaijan,
ther description styles as well as
Azerbaijani fine art and is would give birth, not only to associativity and symbols in
remembered as an impres- the world's first successful their creative work. Folk
sion artist since his talent offshore venture in oil mythology for many of those
allowed him to save his drilling [1949], but also to an artists was one of the princi-
imagination in his works like art movement countering the pal sources of inspiration.
no one else. This archetypal calculated artificiality and
artist whose camp, skeletal lies of Stalin's regime (1960s Many of Rasim Babayev's
appearance looked like Dali and 70s). He experienced the paintings seem like they
and Serge Gainsborough awe and wonder of nature belong in a fairy-tale collec-
rolled into one. With a blatant juxta-posed with the honesty, tion designed to trigger night-
disregard for the require- genuineness and romanticism mares. He's known for draw-
ments of soviet social realism of oil workers, shaped by the ing many-fingered, many-
he painted huge, distinctive tough realism of sweat and legged and many-headed
canvases of streaked colours hard work as they attempted homed monsters baring sev-
which do for finger painting to harness the sea. Together, eral sets of teeth, which
what Seurat did for dots. they offered a much-needed threaten tiny, helpless
Though virtually abstract, the healthy setting for Tahir humans. The white teeth
overall effect in his most suc- Salahov and led to the cre- stand out in stark contrast
cessful canvases is a remark- ation of a new art movement against dark purples, blues
able evocation of the called Severe Style that grad- and splashes of crimson. But
Azerbaijani landscapes - ually spread through the these monsters, known as
quite an achievement when Soviet Union. Severe Style "Divs"
("devils"
in
painting the subtle land- was characterized by its quest Azerbaijani fairy tales), are
scapes of the pan-flat Shirvan for truth in the context of not just imaginary.
nature reserve area. life's harshness.
In 70-80th of last century According to Rasim
Azerbaijani artists like Rasim
renowned
Another Babayev, they symbolize
Azerbaijani artist Tahir Babayev, Tofiq Mirjavadov, totalitarianism, specifically
Salakhov was a founder of Togrul
Narimanbayov,
the terror of the Soviet sys-
the so-called "severe style" - Murad Afshar, Kamal tem. Despite the ban on any
a new path in Soviet art that Akhmad, Farkhad Khalilov, artistic expression that did
depicted true realism. Who Elchin Aslanov and many not reflect "Social Realism",
could imagine that Oil Rocks others started to implement Rasim managed to get away
34 1 2007 Diva

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