LEGEND OF KARABAKH

She has been living in Azerbaijan for two years. Two short years, during which the Latvian artist Dace Štrausa created 29 stunning canvases depicting Karabakh. No, not its unique nature. Rather they depict absolutely recognizable symbols that are familiar to any person living in Azerbaijan.

Karabakh horses

One can always find them on Karabakh carpets. They are special. Each canvas bears the power of love and deep interest of the author. Karabakh horses were the objects of various legends; writers and poets could not stop describing their beauty. Karabakh horses have been repeatedly mentioned in Russian classical literature. In Pushkin's poetry, in Lermontov's poem Daemon, in Leo Tolstoy's Haji Murat and War and Peace, Yuri Tynyanov’s The Death of Wazir Mukhtar, etc. In national literature, Mirza Fatali Akhundov’s comedy Monsieur Jourdan, Kurban Said’s Ali and Nino, Bakhtiyar Vahabzadeh’s Karabakh Horse. And now they (horses), as if descended from Karabakh highlands, communicate with us: some prancing, some galloping, and some contemplating with sad interest...

The Latvian artist, mesmerised by the graceful beauty of the Karabakh horses, paints them demonstrating the difference of their characters. She is painting gazing intently, openly admiring the strength and beauty of these horses. Each of her horses is an ode to Karabakh and its history, to people who have preserved this breed, not allowing it to dissolve in time and to remain in literary memories.

The works of Dace Štrausa are the result of her creative obsession and desire to paint from nature. But how can she accomplish this? Today she cannot go to Shusha to paint horses from life, as it was once done by the Russian artist Vasily Vereshchagin. The following is an excerpt from his book My Journey to Transcaucasus (1864-1865, p. 267): “There is a large ancient house close to Shusha, at the gate leading to Yelizavetpol, that belongs to the daughter of the last Khan of Karabakh, Mehdi Gulu Khan. Khan left a decent fortune to his daughter. Khan’s daughter also had the richest and most majestic horses, which rendered special splendour and solemnity to the festive procession. In the stables, there are excellent horses known under khan’s name.”

From Vereshchagin’s letter to his brother: “... The best horses I've ever seen in my life are  in Shusha. They belong to Jafar Gulu Khan. I have never seen such horses anywhere. I have drawn one of them from life at the location.”

Babir

Dace did not have a chance to visit Shusha, now occupied by Armenia. Therefore, with a lot of effort, she found the owners of horses. Those for whom riding is not a tribute to fashion but a genetic need to feel like a son of steppes. She found them indeed. But to draw a horse, one must know its character, worm into his soul. It is necessary to spend many hours and days next to the object of artistic research. Dace had this chance too! She was lucky to get to know many horse owners. She was able to watch the horses. But it was much more interesting and effective to take part in the life of these amazing animals. Or at least in the life of one of them. Then she began looking after the horse named Babir. Its portrait is also on display. A real handsome stallion from Karabakh! Disobedient and rusty, he stands on his hind legs. His short mane is swinging in the wind, the muscles are tense, nostrils are inflated, and hair is iridescent! In ancient times, such horses in Karabakh were called “köhlənsarılar” because they were lemon-yellow with golden tint in colour. Babir is a horse with a bright flame colour, long strong neck, and rusty character. It seems that he cannot stand still even a minute! He is born to move. He is extraordinarily beautiful.

Babir’s drawing completely matches the description of the Karabakh horses made by the connoisseur and expert A. A. Aghabeyli: “By its external appearance, the Karabakh horse is a typical representative of mountain horses. Beautiful colour and harmonious body type clearly distinguish it from local and other breeds. Characteristic features of the exterior of modern Karabakh horses are the general dryness and strength of its body, beautiful head with a well-developed skull and large expressive eyes, ... temperament vigorous, but good-natured. The movements are smooth, high and light largely because of herd maintenance. Karabakh horses are medium tall. Colours are close to lemon or yellow-brown sparking at the ends of the wool. The mane and tail feathers are dark chestnut with golden tint at the ends... A distinctive feature of the Karabakh horse is white marks on the head and limbs.”

This description, made back in the last century, surprisingly coincides with what we see on the canvas of the artist. Horses, like living, lead their lives in the space of art canvas, pleasing us with a piercing truth of the moment.

Always close to humans

The Gate of History depicts a herd of galloping Karabakh horses. If you look at the drawing for a long time, it seems that they are flying straight at you. A little more, and you will hear the tramping, a slight rumble of the earth, snorting and the breathing of horses. At some point, there is a feeling that you are also galloping with them. It is rumoured that in former times these horses roamed the mountains of Karabakh, like wild mustangs in the novels of Jack London. Independent, strong and proud. And with the onset of cold weather, they returned to the people to winter in a reliable shelter. Perhaps this is just a fiction, but beautiful. Just like this centuries-old union between Man and Horse. And involuntarily in memory the lines of the poem of Mayakovsky “all of us a little bit of a horse” pop up.

Štrausa has given very unexpected names to each of her works. For example, Legends of Karabakh, A Story for Next Generations, Faster than the Wind, etc. These names reflect the artist's conceptual view of the heritage of our people, who created and preserved such an extraordinary breed of horses.

Unique breed

In the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan (ADR), there was an enormous interest in the Karabakh horses. Government paid special attention to the development of stud farms. Unfortunately, this process was interrupted by the revolution but continued in the Soviet era. The breed was preserved. The Karabakhi köhlən (chestnut) occupies one of the first places in the world due to its unique features.

We love telling stories to our guests about the uniqueness and popularity of the horses, which we call the ‘golden horses’. They have made their way to films, true and fictitious stories, and canvasses. It is rumoured that when Nikita Khrushchev presented one of the Karabakh horses to Queen Elizabeth II, servants of the royal stables, apparently doubting this unexpected colour, washed Zaman with shampoo and soap. But then Zaman sparkled with even greater overflows making everyone speechless!

In the beginning of the 1990s, no one could ever imagine that this breed would be almost extinct. The ongoing conflict in Karabakh almost destroyed these horses of extraordinary beauty. Yet Azerbaijani breeders could withdraw the horses from the battle zone first to Yevlakh, and then to Baku, albeit under fire and intensive shelling. Part of the herd was lost due to climate change and the lack of necessary food. Still the breed was preserved. Today the Karabakhis are the pride and wealth of our nation! Two Karabakh horses were the mascots of the 4^th Games of Islamic Solidarity. In 2013, traditional horse riding game Chovgan was included in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. This is a unique case when the role of animals in preserving the cultural heritage of nation was recognised internationally.

Horses also symbolise patriotism and courage, heralding a period of great changes. Hence, the works of the Latvian artist, who perpetuated the extraordinary beauty of these horses, is not only a tribute to the 100^th anniversaries of ADR and the Republic of Latvia but is also an appreciation of the efforts of people, who had managed to preserve the Karabakh breed for next generations.

Currently, there are 20 enterprises for breeding horses in Azerbaijan. In 2017, President Ilham Aliyev signed an order on additional support for the development of the Karabakh horses.

The exhibition Living Heritage dedicated to the 100^th anniversary of both ADR and the Republic of Latvia and organised by the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan, Embassy of Latvia in Azerbaijan, and the Museum Centre was a delightful present to the residents and guests of Baku telling them about the living legend of Azerbaijan, the Karabakh horses. Štrausa’s works are a powerful and charming splash of emotions. We wish this charming atmosphere could last as long as possible...