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Azerbaijani art

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Azerbaijani art has developed since ancient times in Azerbaijan and Iranian Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijanis have created rich and distinctive art, a major part of which is applied art items. This form of art rooted in antiquity, is represented by a wide range of handicrafts, such as chasing (metalworking), jewellery-making, engraving, carving wood, stone and bone, carpet-making, lacing, pattern weaving and printing, and knitting and embroidery. Each of these decorative arts is evidence of the culture and the abilities of the Azerbaijan nation, and are very popular there. Many interesting facts pertaining to the development of arts and crafts in Azerbaijan were reported by merchants, travellers and diplomats who visited these places at different times.

Prehistoric art

Rock paintings in Gobustan

Images reflecting magic, totemic notions of ancient people, their religious customs and hunting scenes carved on rocks in Gobustan is evidence of primitive art created in the Paleolithic epoch. Carvings of men and women, fishing scenes, images of people dancing on the rocks, galloping horses, hunters, a lonely figure of a reaper with a sickle, round dances like the yalli (folk dance), boats with rowers, solar signs and various wild animals have been portrayed and found there.[1]

Gamigaya Petroglyphs in the Ordubad District region date back from the fourth to the first centuries BC. About 1,500 dislodged and carved rock paintings with images of deer, goats, bulls, dogs, snakes, birds, fantastic beings, people, carriages and various symbols have been discovered carved on basalt rocks.[2]

Antiquity

Main articles: Arts of Caucasian Albania and Roman influence in Caucasian Albania

Ceramic items representing Caucasian Albanian culture have been discovered during archaeological excavations. These have various shapes, perfect forms, and fine details. Varieties of painted ornamental and semantic motifs are typical on ceramic items found in different oblasts of Azerbaijan such as Shahtakhty and Gizilvang.

A large vessel was discovered in a Shahtakhty village and black-gloss vessels with dragon and animal motifs have been discovered in Mingachevir and are the most famous patterns on the ceramic items of Azerbaijan. A unique rhyton (conical) cup with the figure of deer with branching antlers on it is an interesting find. The figure of a two-headed deer from a grave in a Dolanlar village, bronze figures of birds from a Chovdar village, and a rhyton with a deer head at Mingachevir have been discovered.

The foundations of columns have been discovered in different districts of Azerbaijan, mainly from Nakhchivan and Gabala. And details of plant images painted on stone foundations found in the Qazakh District are dated to the fourth to third centuries BC. Cave dwellings in Zangilan, Gonagkend and Shamakhi districts, the rocky shelters of the Qazakh district, serf and Cyclopean stonework in the uplands of Lesser Caucasus and Nakhchivan have also been discovered by archaeologists.

Middle Ages

The stone cap of the 5th–6th centuries discovered in a temple in the Sudagilan settlement of the Mingachevir District with an inscription in Caucasian Albanian language[3]

The development of old and the appearance of new cities favoured the development of caravan trade and the expansion of handicraft production. Many cities are famed for rug weaving, and the production of artistic ceramic jars, gold and silver items.

A stone cap from the 5th–6th centuries discovered in the Sudagilan settlement of Mingachevir District is one of the most famous findings of that time. A cup discovered in the village of Bartim village, dated from the second to fourth centuries is kept in the Moscow Museum of History.

Ornament from the Momine Khatun Mausoleum in Nakhchivan, 12th century

The seizure of Caucasian Albania by Arabs in the seventh century was of great importance to the further development of the visual arts. Muslim, Iranian and Arabic cultures began to spread in the territory of modern Azerbaijan. The construction of mosques, mausoleums, castles and other cultic architectural monuments followed decorated with various patterns and ornaments, calligraphic elements (on epitaphs), tile and bas-reliefs Islamic restrictions on the portrayal of living beings stimulated the development of ornamental forms of decorative arts. Ornaments on the Momine Khatun Mausoleum in Nakhchivan, constructed in the epoch of the Seljuq and Khanegah on the shore of the Pirsaat River are monuments from that time.

"Divankhana". A fragment of a decoration. Palace of the Shirvanshahs in Baku, the 15th century

Small states appeared in the territory of Azerbaijan after the weakening of Arab Caliphate. Local art schools were opened in cities such as Barda, Shamakhi, Beylagan, Ganja, Nakhchivan and Shabran. Architectural schools in Nakchivan, Shirvan-Absheron and Tabriz are the most important among them. Monuments and buildings of the "Nakhchivan school" are distinguished by their ceramic details, which were one-colour initially, but then became multi-coloured. Ornamental motifs generally consisted of baked brick and tile. Smooth stone walls were rarely used in architectural elements belong to the "Shirvan-Absheron" architectural school. Patterns of stone carving art, geometric and plant ornaments have an important place in buildings belonging to this school of architecture.

The artistic value of "divankhana" (rotunda-pavilion) from the Palace of the Shirvanshahs ensemble "is determined by the perfection of the composition, tectonics of architectural forms, the virtuosity of painting and creation of ornaments" according to L.Bretatsinki and B.Weymarn.

Stones with inscriptions and images of people and animals (tiger, camel, horse, bull and bird) have been found in the Shirvanshahs' architectural monument called Sabayil Castle constructed in the 13th century in Baku Bay.[4] A deep carving style was a characteristics of friezes. This monument has a pattern of sculptural art where inscriptions and salient images was a decisive factor in the decorative design of buildings. Cultural traditions of ancient Caucasian Albania are preserved in the stone reliefs.[5]

The Bayil stones, which had the characteristics of friezes, included decorative elements on grand architectural monuments at that time.

Ceramic items discovered during archaeological excavations in Shabran and Baylagan provide evidence of the high-level development of visual arts in the Middle Ages.

15th century

Azerbaijani rugs

Main articles: Azerbaijani carpet weaving, Azerbaijani rug, Quba rugs and carpets, Ganja rugs, and Karabakh carpet

Azerbaijani rugs are a product of Azerbaijan, an ancient centre of carpet weaving. Azerbaijan has also been known since ancient times as a centre of a large variety of other crafts. Archaeological digs in the territory testify to well-developed agriculture, livestock raising, metalworking, pottery and ceramics, and carpet-weaving that date as far back as to the 2nd millennium BC. The development of carpet weaving grew after Ismail I's takeover of the Safavid dynasty.

Azerbaijani carpets can be categorized into several large groups and a multitude of subgroups. Scientific research on the Azerbaijani carpet is connected to Latif Karimov, a prominent scientist and artist. He classified carpets into four large groups in four geographical zones of Azerbaijan, i.e. Guba-Shirvan, Ganja-Kazakh, Karabakh and Tabriz.[6]

The Karabakh carpet is one of five ( major regional groups of carpets made in Azerbaijan named after the Karabakh region, which comprises present-day Nagorno-Karabakh and the adjacent lowland territories (lowland Karabakh). The Karabakh carpets amount to 33 compositions. Due to the specifics of the local sheep wool, the Karabakh carpets are characterized by the thick, tall fluffy pile. These carpets are known for their vivid and joyous colours. They are divided into four groups: without medallions, with medallions, namazlyk (prayer rug) and subject carpet. In the mountainous part of Karabakh, the carpets were made in Malybeili, Muradkhanly, Dashbulakh, Jebrail, Goradis and many other villages.

17th to 18th century

Safavid era copper pitcher in National Museum of History of Azerbaijan

Tabriz school of miniature painting

Persian miniature painting was developing in the territory of Azerbaijan in the Middle Ages. Manuscripts with miniature paintings of people, animals and landscapes were popular at that time. Heroes of poetic works by Ferdowsi, Nizami, Saadi, Hafez, Jami, Navoiy, Amir Khusrow Dehlawi and others had an important place in the creativity of Persian miniature artists.[7] In the middle of the 15th century, a new style—Turkmen style—of miniature spread in the territories of the Kara Koyunlu and the Aq Qoyunlu states was developed.[3] Such miniatures of this style were made in Tabriz and other cities located in the territory of modern Azerbaijan. Shamakhi, the capital of the Shirvanshahs' government, was one of them. Traces of this now ancient style created by artists who worked in the workshops of Rashidaddin at the beginning of the 14th century can be observed in miniatures created by Abdul-Bagi Bakuvi, a Baku artist of the 15th century. Illustrations for Anthology of the Eastern Poetry or Anthology of Shamakhi of 1468 preserved in the British Museum in London are the best miniatures created by artists of Shamakhi and Baku. One-figured and two-figured portraits painted by Abdulbagi Bakuvi (Stableman and Two amirs) and housed in the Topkapi Museum, in Istanbul belong to the miniature art of Baku. The influence of Far Eastern painting can be seen in the creativity of many miniature artists of that time.

Wars between Turkey and Iran and feudal wrangles among khanates adversely affected the development of visual arts in the 17th-18th centuries. But colourful visual arts masterpieces continued to be created. The Palace of Shaki Khans, built by architect Khadali Zeynalabdin from Shiraz in 1797, is one of these masterpieces. Decorative paintings created by masters such as Abbasgulu, Usta Gambar Garabaghi, Aligulu, Gurban Ali, Shukur and others were created with bright and motley colours. Images of people and animals, and also battle and hunting scenes were painted on the walls of the palace.

Monumental constructions, were generally suffering a decline. In the 18th century, wall paintings, which mainly consisted of compositions of plant motifs, appeared in the houses of wealthy townsmen.[8] National artists created ornaments for guns and jars. A copper jar and gun discovered in Lahij has highly artistic ornaments.

19th to early 20th centuries

Decorative art

Portraits in Sardar's Palace of Irevan in Erivan Fortress painted by Mirza Gadim Irevani.
Tree of life by Usta Gambar Karabakhi.

From the 19th century to early 20th century several artists of the decorative arts who had no formal artistic education became famous. One, Mir Mohsun Navvab who also known as a poet, music theorist and calligrapherwas among the most famous artists of that time. His creations are important in art sphere. Ornamental wall paintings, images of flowers and birds, illustrations to his own manuscripts (Bahr-ul Khazan (The sea of sorrow), 1864) are typical of his creativity.[9]

Usta Gambar Garabaghi represents the national traditions of wall-painting (1830s–1905). He is famed for his works in the restoration of the Palace of Shaki Khans, paintings in the interiors of houses in Mehmandarov and Rustamov in Shusha and other cities. Paintings made by him did not break up the flatness of walls but emphasized their architectural details. His new works were distinguished for the growth of realistic features.[10]

Landscapes, images of flowers and patterns of decorative-applied art made by poet Khurshidbanu Natavan should also be noted. She also decorated her poems with lyric art motifs.[11] Artists such as Avazali Mughanli (Kalila and Dimna, 1809), Mirza Aligulu (Shahnameh 1850), Najafgulu Shamakhili (Yusuf and Zulaikha, 1887) and others were among the famous Azerbaijani miniature painters of that time.

Easel painting

Refugee Woman by Bahruz Kangarli. 1920.
Azerbaijani woman by Abbas Huseyni. 1908

The new progressive visual arts of Azerbaijan faced a delay in development in the 19th century. The development of realistic easel painting was extremely slow.[9] [clarification needed]

The origins of easel painting in Azerbaijani visual arts began in this period, but works of the period such as portraits painted in Irevan "were still firmly connected to traditions of the eastern miniature of middle ages".[10]

A painter Mirza Gadim Iravani, who also had no professional artistic education, is a famous mainly as a portrait artist. Dancer, Dervish, Strongman and Cavalryman are his most popular works. His works are housed in the National Art Museum of Azerbaijan. A portrait of a young man, portrait of a sitting woman and others are among these works. Iravani, whose works were firmly connected to traditions of the eastern miniature of medieval ages, laid down the foundations of the realistic easel painting in Azerbaijan.[9]

Golden Woman belt. shabaka technique. National Museum of History of Azerbaijan
Golden brooch with diamond, emerald, ruby. National Museum of History of Azerbaijan

Paintings in Sardar's Palace in Irevan and also portraits of Fath Ali Shah, Abbas Mirza, Mah Talat khanim and Vajullah Mirza are among the famous works of Mirza Gadim Iravani. Besides these portraits he also painted a portrait of the Unknown Warrior.[9] The palace was demolished in 1914 and four great portraits on the walls of the palace and also paintings on the walls of houses in Shusha were also destroyed.[9]

Timur's Portrait by Mir Mohsun Navvab painted with watercolours in 1902 and now housed in the National Art Museum of Azerbaijan in Baku is also famous.

The genre of satiric graphics appeared with the publication of Molla Nasraddin magazine at the beginning of the 20th century and development of book publishing. Artists of the magazine such as O.Schemrling, I.Rotter, A.Azimzade and K.Musayev actively worked in this sphere of arts. Azim Azimzade is a founder of satiric graphics of Azerbaijan.[12] His sharp caricatures and grotesques scoffing at social inequality, ignorance, fanaticism and oppression by Tsarism are also famous. His series of watercolour paintings called Hundred Types, dedicated to freedom of women, atheism and political motifs, and also the illustrations of Mirza Alakbar Sabir's Hophopname collection of works are famous.

Bahruz Kangarli is the first Azerbaijani artist who got a professional education was one of the founders of the realistic easel arts of Azerbaijan He created landscapes such as Ilanly Mountain Under the Moonlight, Before the Dawn and Spring. He also created portraits of unfortunate people in his Refugees series and everyday life compositions Matchmaking and Wedding. His album Memory of Nakhchivan consisting of twenty landscapes is housed in the National Art Museum of Azerbaijan.

Kangarli drew outlines of costumes for Deadmen (J.Mammadguluzadeh), Haji Gara (M.F.Akhundov), Peri Jaud (A.Hagverdiyev) and other plays staged in Nakhchivan, in 1910.

20th century

Azerbaijan Democratic Republic

The Independence Museum of Azerbaijan, where the national symbols of Azerbaijan (the national coat of arms and national flag) were created, was founded in Baku in 1919, after the establishment of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. Meetings dedicated to the conservation of historical monuments were held in the museum. At that time the magazine Füyuzat was published by Ali bey Huseynzade, the eminent philosopher, journalist and artist of that time and a pioneer of the art of oil painting in Azerbaijan.[13][failed verification] Huseynzade's most famous works are Bibi-Heybat Mosque and the Portrait of the Sheikh ul-Islam.[13][failed verification]

Soviet Azerbaijan

New type of arts were developing in Azerbaijan after the establishment of the Soviet regime in Azerbaijan in 1920. The first art school where new genres of visual arts were created, was opened in 1920, in Baku.[14]

Holiday in village. Azim Azimzade. 1930s.

In the 1930s, artists such as Azim Azimzade, Farhad Khalilov, H.Khaligov, I.Akhundov, A.Hajiyev, M.A.Vlasov, K.Kazimzade, A.Mammadov and others worked in the graphic design sphere. Illustrations for books by Azerbaijani and foreign writers were drawn. Placards relating to the themes of that time were also created.

In 1928, the first art exhibition of the Azerbaijani Union of Young Artists was held. In the 1930s, the exhibition of the Azerbaijani Union of Revolutionary Visual Arts achieved great success.

In 1932, the Committee of Azerbaijani Artists was created. During that period, works such as Grape harvesting by S.Sharifzade, Azim Azimzade's portrait by H.Hagverdiyev and Portrait of Nizami Ganjavi by Gazanfar Khaligov, were famous. Works by Mikayil Abdullayev, B.Mirzazade, B.Aliyeva, Sattar Bahlulzade and K.Khanlarova should also be mentioned. The first Congress of Azerbaijani artists was held in 1940.

Generally, political placards and satiric caricatures were drawn during World War II. Well-known artists as H.Khaligov, I.Akhundov, A.Hajiyev and S.Sharifzade were creators of this type of art.

For You, Humanity! by Tahir Salahov. 1961

The mature stage in Azerbaijani visual arts began in the mid-1950s. Mikayil Abdullayev, Tahir Salahov, Vidadi Narimanbekov, Sattar Bahlulzade, Togrul Narimanbekov, Geysar Kashiyeva and others were famous artists of the Soviet Azerbaijan, in the second half of the 20th century.[15][16] Tahir Salahov is credited for pioneering a version of "severe realism" more truthful to the grim realities of workers' lives than the bright certainties of Socialist Realism.[17]

B.Aliyev, I.Feyzullayev, A.Mammadov, A.Verdiyev and others portrayed subjects of labour and industry in their works. But the works of Elbey Rzaguliyev, T.Sadighzade, Arif Huseynov, K.Najafzade and others are dedicated to the historic past, the traditions and customs of Azerbaijani people, to war and peace. J.Mirjavadova, N.Rahmanova, K.Ahmadova, G.Yunusova, S.Veysova, A.Ibrahimova, I.Mammadova, S.Mirzazade, F.Hashimova, F.Gulamova, A.Samadova and others painted mythological images.

Maral Rahmanzade was the first Azerbaijani woman artist with professional artistic education to achieve great success in the sphere of easel painting and book illustration.

21st century

Independent Azerbaijan

Baku Museum of Modern Art

The beginning of the 21st century can be considered as a period of stabilization and revitalization, noted by Teymur Daimi in 2001 for the cataloque of international exhibition published in English and French in Strasbourg in 2002. [18]


The Maiden Tower International Art Festival has been organized since 2010 with the aim to promote globally the Maiden Tower in Old City of Baku, included on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2000, and considered the symbol of Baku.[19] In 2012, Azerbaijan staged the 2012 Baku Public Art Festival, the country's first modern art festival.[20]

As of the 2000s, fine-art photography has become popular in Azerbaijan, with names such as Rena Effendi hosting exhibitions in London and New York City.[17]

In 2010, the art of Azerbaijani carpet weaving in Azerbaijan was added to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.[21] Taking into account its socio-economic importance, Azerbaijani folk applied art, particularly carpet weaving, has been the subject of special attention by the government to preserve, study, promote and develop the carpet weaving traditions of Azerbaijani people.[22][23] In this regard, the Law "On the protection and development of carpet art of Azerbaijan" was adopted in December 2004.[24] Carpet Weaver Day began to be celebrated on May 5 according to a Presidential Decree,[25] the new building for the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum designed by Austrian architect Franz Janz in the shape of a rolled carpet was constructed between 2007 and 2014.[26] In addition, the state program on the "Protection and development of carpet art in the Republic of Azerbaijan 2018-2022" was approved in February 2018 by President Ilham Aliyev.[23]

Azerbaijani and Western Art museums of Azerbaijan

See also

References

  1. ^ "Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape". World Heritage Convention. Retrieved March 1, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ "Наскальные рисунки Гямигая" (PDF). irs-az.com. Retrieved March 1, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ a b Бретаницкий, Л. С.; Веймарн, Б. В. "Очерки истории и теории изобразительных искусств" (PDF). elibrary.az. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 15, 2010. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  4. ^ "Художественная энциклопедия". dic.academic.ru. Retrieved March 1, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ "Академия художеств СССР. Институт теории и истории изобразительных искусств. Всеобщая история искусств. Том 2. Искусство средних веков. Книга вторая. Искусство Ближнего и Среднего Востока. Искусство Азербайджана". Archived from the original on April 11, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  6. ^ "Art - KMT". www.kmt.az. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  7. ^ G.Fehervari. Art and architecture // Peter Malcolm Holt, Ann K. S. Lambton, Bernard Lewis. The Cambridge History of Islam, vol. 2. Cambridge University Press, 1977. ISBN 0-521-29138-0, 9780521291385. Стр. 738 "In miniature painting, Herat remained the centre only for a few years after Shah Ismail's occupation of the city. Artists, like Bihzad and many of his pupils, moved to the new capital, Tabriz. Thus Tabriz became once more a centre of Persian painting. Another new centre emerged in Bukhara, which was very active during the tenth/sixteenth and early eleventh/seventeenth centuries. Illumination of manuscripts of the Shah-namа and Khamsa of Nizami continued. Bihzad's style was followed for quite a long time. Upon the moving of the capital to Isfahan under Shah 'Abbas I, a new school of painters was founded there which excelled not only in miniature painting but also in the production of bookbindings and in lacquer-works as well."
  8. ^ Л.С. Бретаницкий. "Архитектура и изобразительное искусство". Российские универсальные энциклопедии. Брокгауз-Ефрон и Большая советская энциклопедия объединенный словник. Archived from the original on April 11, 2012.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Гюнай Джафарова. Творчество М. К. Эривани нашедшее отражение в исследованиях К.Керимова". Archived from the original on 2018-10-08. Retrieved 2014-10-26.
  10. ^ a b Под общ. ред. Б.В. Веймарна, Ю.Д. Колпинског (1964). Всеобщая история искусств. Vol. 5. Moscow: Искусство.
  11. ^ "Живопись Азербайджана". azeri.ws. Archived from the original on November 26, 2014. Retrieved March 1, 2021. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; October 26, 2014 suggested (help)
  12. ^ "Азимзаде Азим Аслан оглы в Большой советской". bse.sci-lib.com. Retrieved March 1, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ a b Jonathan M. Bloom, Sheila Blair (2009). The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture. Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. p. 513. ISBN 9780195309911.
  14. ^ "Изобразительное искусство в XIX — первой половине XX века". mct.gov.az. Archived from the original on July 20, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  15. ^ "Azerbaijani Artists". www.arthistoryarchive.com. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  16. ^ История живописи Азербайджана. www.azerbaijans.com (in Russian). Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  17. ^ a b Crichton-Miller, Emma. "Azeri Artists Take on the World". www.nytimes.com. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  18. ^ "Изобразительное искусство Азербайджана конца II начала III тысячелетия Сообщество любителей изящных искусств". www.baku.ru. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  19. ^ "Maiden Tower International Art Festival". www.heydar-aliyev-foundation.org. Archived from the original on 7 November 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  20. ^ Michalska, Julia. "Azerbaijan stages first art festival". www.theartnewspaper.com. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  21. ^ "UNESCO - Traditional art of Azerbaijani carpet weaving in the Republic of Azerbaijan". ich.unesco.org. Retrieved 2019-09-18.
  22. ^ "UNESCO - Traditional art of Azerbaijani carpet weaving in the Republic of Azerbaijan". ich.unesco.org. Retrieved 2019-09-18.
  23. ^ a b "On the approval of the State Program for the "Protection and development of carpet art in the Republic of Azerbaijan 2018-2022"". Ministry of Justice of Azerbaijan - Database of Regulatory Legal Acts. Retrieved 2019-09-18.
  24. ^ "Law "On the protection and development of carpet art of Azerbaijan"". Ministry of Justice of Azerbaijan - Database of Regulatory Legal Acts. Retrieved 2019-09-18.
  25. ^ "Azerbaijan celebrates Carpet Weaver Day | Vestnik Kavkaza". vestnikkavkaza.net. Retrieved 2019-09-18.
  26. ^ "Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum". azcarpetmuseum.az. Retrieved 2019-09-18.
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