SUCCESS IS NEVER FAR AWAY

Since he was a child Vuqar Muradov knew he would be an artist. He was always drawing. When he left secondary school Vuqar entered the A. Azimzada Arts School. When, in 1998, the director of the Central and East European Arts Foundation Meda Mladek saw his pictures she did not hesitate to suggest to the young artist that he take part in an exhibition of contemporary Azerbaijani artists in the USA. Later the Azerbaijan International (USA) magazine carried a series of his work, and some time after that the well-known Baltimore Sun newspaper in America published an interview with Muradov. His pictures have been exhibited in Germany, the USA, Denmark, Japan, France and many other countries. Today his pictures adorn modern art museums not only in Baku but also in New York, Washington, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Musum, MoMA (The Museum of Modern Art) and the Central and East European Art Foundation.

- Vuqar, when did the current stage of your popularity start?

- My first works were noticed and appraised by the director of the Central and East European Arts Foundation Meda Mladek, and then it was the French. A friend of mine, a former advisor to the French ambassador Tibo Fourier, saw my pictures and told his friends about them. Some people took the pictures for their private collections. Among those who admired my work were the French senators Jean Boyer and Ambrose Dupont who were on an official visit to Baku. After visiting my studio they bought several pictures. Our meeting clearly left an impression on him and when he returned to France Ambrose Dupont decided to name his horse after me.

Over 20 of my works are in private collections in Argentina. Whereas before it was mainly foreigners who were interested in art, our compatriots are now buying pictures. My work is a labour of love. It is my way of life and I am my own man. In the past I didn't want to sell my pictures and I was sad to see them go. Now I am happy to sell them because, basically, pictures are not created to gather dust in a corner. They need to be seen.

- Where do you get the ideas that inspire you?

- Ideas come from everywhere. My imagination is like a filter. I take everything there is in it and in my sub-conscience and make new and interesting forms out of it. All artists start by copying someone. When I was a child I tried to copy Rembrandt and the other great masters. I learnt to paint in this strange way. My parents still have some of my efforts. So everything an artist experiments with makes his art better.

- So what is inspiration for you?

- Inspiration comes when something inside you bursts out and you can't contain it any longer. It floods out and makes you fill the canvas with colour, air and energy and it brings a feeling of great joy from the process of creativity.

- Vuqar, you have been painting since you were a child. When did you start to become an artist? Is painting a profession, a means of earning a living, or a creative process, a recreation?

- Painting is my life. It is also a profession and a means of earning a living. It is for me the most natural way of communicating with the outside world. Since I was very little I have always drawn: on the walls with crayons, in exercise books, anything that came into my hands. Of course, my parents used to scold me for this. Then, when I was about 12, my parents decided to enter me into a drawing circle at the Gagarin Pioneers' Centre. That was probably when I decided I wanted to be an artist. Dad was a philologist and Mum a librarian and they were not against my choice. Never in my life have I felt anything other than an artist. An artist is not really a profession, but rather a way of thinking, a way of life, an outlook on the world.

- Can you describe in a few words what kind of person you are?

- I don't even know myself. I'm just an artist. All I can say is I am reserved, I love being alone and I can't stand noise and the hustle and bustle of the city. That's probably why my studio is on the 17th floor where no sound can reach which would only stop me working.

- You are well known as a master of painting. Can you tell us a little about how you work?

- My method is simple. If you want to create something, get your easel out and start mixing colours. Every day I retire to my studio to paint and create. I cannot imagine life without this routine. I believe it takes not years but decades to become a painter, and only if you work every day. If you can only do it once a week it's better not to start at all. That would mean there is no inner need. As for myself, I still see myself as a pupil. I believe that's normal for a painter.

- Have you ever had "artist's block"?

- It depends what you mean by block. If it is when your hands drop and you don't want to pick up the brush, then I haven't had that feeling. When work becomes difficult you may have to do something over and over again, as often as you like. I usually work in stretches and there are times when work on a picture grinds to a halt, when you have to put it to one side for a week, sometimes a month, and switch to other pictures. Then you can go back to the original one and add to it.

- Which artists can you enjoy for hours?

- Every time I visit different museums and galleries I am delighted at the chance to see the works of the great masters and I can stand for hours looking at artists like Rembrandt, Cezanne, Matisse and Van Gogh. That is true perfection!

- When people buy your pictures are you sorry to part with them?

- Of course. Sometimes I'm very sorry. But that's life and artists' works have to be seen. That's why we do what we do. On the one hand, parting with a painting is a bit like losing oneself, because an artist is unconsciously identified by his work. On the other hand, if one wants to get on there is no point in getting too attached to your work. And parting with old works is a chance to open a new page in your life. I have sold over 600 pictures. The other canvases are kept in my studio and in my parents' house. All of them are equally dear to me.

- Is there one painting of yours that is especially dear to you?

- Yes, "Adam and Eve". Many people have asked me to sell this picture but I have refused. But it doesn't belong just to me. Out of several dozen pictures that I asked my wife to choose from, this was the one. So the picture I really love stays with me.

- Vuqar, as well as painting, you also dabble in decorative art, turning ordinary bottles into works of art…

[A] I like to show beauty and harmony in the most ordinary object. A simple glass is covered with bright, rich colours; you could say it "mirrors" my mood.

- I've heard that you have recently taken up photography…

- It's a labour of love. I used to photograph everything. Now I have learnt to feel the camera and catch the moment. One of my pictures made it to the Incognito international exhibition which was attended by artists from 20 countries who, like me, had been attracted to photography. Artists from Argentina, Cuba, Austria, France, Britain, Georgia, Germany, Israel and other countries showed their work at the exhibition in Naples. I showed my picture "Sur" at the exhibition. I took this picture at the Mugham Centre. I have a lot of photos that I have taken in different towns and countries. I could now even organize a photo exhibition, which is something I have started to think about lately.

- Can you share a "trade secret" of your success?

- My "trade secret" is a very simple one: work hard. Don't get sidetracked by meetings and events which might "provide something in the future". Don't waste money on advertising. It's better to spend it on buying or renting a large, comfortable studio where it's nice to work. If the quality is there, success will always follow.