AT MASTER’S ATOLEYE

Latafet Mammadova is an Azerbaijani artist, a member of the UNESCO International Association of Visual Arts and a member of the Bakırköy Group of Artists (Turkey). She is known not only for her visual art, but also as an educator teaching to contemporary Turkish artists, graduates of her signature courses, whose works have attracted the attention of professionals. Our meeting took place in the course of Latafet’s preparations to hold her personal exhibition Rənglərin sirri (The Mystery of Colours) slated for Sep 29-Oct 5, 2022 at the Museum of Modern Art. But our conversation was not limited to painting, creativity and creating art courses. For all these years Latafet has been promoting the Azerbaijani culture, as she cannot imagine herself apart from her native land... It was natural that our conversation began with reflections on the main event in her life in recent years...

"The area where I live is quite in demand thanks to its attractive scenery. I guess it's no surprise that I have many of the humiliated and insulted as my neighbours. Over the years I have heard, directly and indirectly, the universal lamentation of the ‘unfortunate miserable and wronged’. Yet they have happily settled in elite residential areas and continue to hold important positions, and twisting history for their own benefit, let alone mimicking the Kurdish people. For decades I have had to deal with their concealed national arrogance. And imagine our encouragement and joy when we received the news of our historic victory; no words to express those feelings. It was our honour, our pride!"

"What is homeland for an artist?"

"An artist should be free. His thoughts must be free from the material world surrounding him. Despite its significance, everyday life is a distraction forcing our mind to switch to lower frequency waves. Living in Turkey, I find myself in a situation where all the time belongs to me alone. You can say I am happy and unhappy at the same time. I usually feel the pain of separation from my family in the evenings. But during the day my life is filled with art. My students, my easel and my palette. I spend almost all my time in front of the canvas. Resting is not for me. As funny as it may sound, relaxation is a work for my own self. I used to teach a five-day course; today it takes four days. And I devote two days a week entirely to my creative work. I look forward to weekends as a celebration of my own personal creativity, when I submerge into the space of the canvas in front of me creating my own universe. So when I am alone in Turkey, far from my family, I do not feel the oppression of loneliness. May the Almighty protect my dear ones. But now that I live in two countries, my life is separated: I have to split my attention to my family in Baku and to my art in Istanbul. And I confess that I painted my best works there."

"Do you think of returning home?"

"I know many people, including those I now personally, who returned to Azerbaijan years later leaving behind their well-established and prosperous life. Some of them raised and educated their children here considering part of their ultimate mission for the time being, and see their future life back at home. My spouse made that decision too, as Azerbaijan was pulling him along. I had to take a difficult decision and stay in Turkey. But I see my stay in Istanbul as a kind of cultural embassy and I do my job conscientiously every day. That's why I don't have regrets about living away from home. After all, your homeland lives inside you, it’s an integral part of you.

“I can somehow relate this to the mentality of our people as well: we, Azerbaijanis, are very attached to our land. I felt it during the 44-day war for the liberation of the occupied territories of Garabagh. I fell ill with insomnia for two months and had complications. I was shocked when they shelled our villages and towns killing and injuring civilians, including children. I was crying almost all day long. I could not help but reading and watching the news on my phone all day long. It was then that I realised how deeply I felt about my homeland. Until then I didn't even realise how important it was. To be honest, I have never thought I would ever see the blessed day with our lands liberated. My husband was confident though, and he was right. I now feel a degree of sorrow for my unbelief. But it was based on our previous losses and defeats throughout the centuries. And when the Azerbaijani army was taking back the native lands step by step, my dignity was lifted up in an unprecedented way!”

"Are there any differences between the cultural codes of the two brotherly nations?"

"In real life, Turks live according to the proclaimed principle of One Nation—Two States. I do not mean the circle of artists only. I have seen this reverent approach to our nation from ordinary Turkish citizens as well! Personally, I have never been underestimated here as a professional either. Although I have not tried to hit the top, I have often been invited to various events. Respect is part of the Turkish culture. Today I am proud to say that I have already received many Turkish diplomas, which confirm the high degree of recognition of the Azerbaijani art. Turks do not deny our superiority in this field. Even their contemporary art has its roots in the Azerbaijani school. There are many Azerbaijani children winners of various competitions, whose parents work or reside on the shores of the Bosporus Strait! Perhaps this is due to the approach to learning, in which there is a difference. Our approach to education means a continuous process, while for them it is unthinkable to have such dense classes. I think the secret of the success of our musicians and artists in Turkey is the desire for constant practice in the chosen field of art. However, we have to take into account the historical nature of the Turkish people: they are, first and foremost, warriors. Military art is in their blood, not the ephemeral art. I remember how amazed they were to see the crowded hall of our Opera and Ballet Theatre on the eve of the season closure in summer. I am proud of our Baku, which has eight (!) prominent theatres in a relatively small area."

"What about starting from scratch..."

"Certainly, it's difficult! And I admit that I'm a little girlie-girl, although my courses are quite popular among the rich. But it started with small steps. At first, I could spare a day or two due to government work. After that, private practice became the mainstream, and soon the number of applicants exceeded the number of apprenticeships. Although at first many people thought that by becoming a course instructor, as an assistant professor at the university, I was sort of going downhill. But I liked this format so much that I felt I had won the lottery. On top of that, every participant of my course gave me so much love, energy and respect that there was an understanding that it was the right choice. I then realised the fast pace Azerbaijani citizens live here in Turkey. The Turks are not in a hurry at all. From them I learned patience, which is very important in life. They have opened my eyes to the simple yet powerful maxim of life: it could be worse! A kind of paraphrase for accepting the divine predetermination. Their faith in Allah is not a showoff, but deeply internal. Perhaps that’s because they did not have a historical point of division due to global upheavals in the national development, when the state system of governance was subject to destruction down to the ground and then restored."

"Your courses are rightly recognised as one of the art schools."

"Some individuals have to some extent levelled the very notion of courses. Why? Everyone has a reasonable explanation. It is not for me to judge. My area of responsibility is my students. Sometimes I receive comments like "Why are you killing yourself? They can't all be artists!" But as pathetic as it sounds, I do not like this approach, which in fact underestimates the ability of my students to seek and to get knowledge. Above all, painting provides knowledge, develops artistic thinking. And I will continue teaching until any one of my students fully absorbs the information. Also, my courses provide a lot of hands-on experience. I am closely associated with some students for many years. They do not limit themselves by time... I think art courses cannot be limited to certain time periods. I don't accept it. It's a kind of external manifestation of my personal self. I will explain and demonstrate as many times as is necessary for my students to fully understand. Many of them have been with me for many years. To instil correct artistic taste is one of the components of my course curriculum. Therefore, my graduates are able to separate art from its pseudo-form at exhibitions, having gone through the whole training process. And they can intelligently explain their position."

"But there is more to the practical side of your daily life routine."

"Teaching painting is not the only area I have been involved in Turkey. I have participated in many art exhibitions and opening ceremonies, including those by the graduates of my own studio, Letefet Hafiz gızı atoleyisi, with exhibits based on the material accumulated in the course of operation. By the way, exhibitions organised by my workshop are always popular. Some of my graduates already hold personal exhibitions."

"I’ll soon believe that anyone can be an artist..."

"...anyone can learn to draw. It's like in the 18th and 19th centuries, when the children from aristocratic families used to take drawing lessons. Being able to play music, sing, even write poetry, was part of good manners in those societies. There was no requirement to strive for public glory. But to be an artist... You know, after many years I understood through practical training that not everyone is given the gift of perceiving colours! It is sort of a divine gift... While the graphic art can be presented in monochrome, painting is inconceivable without colour!"

"What colour is yours?"

"I love the whole palette, with its nuances and shades... There have been warm and cold periods in my professional life.  It was touching the colour that led me into painting. There's such a limitless scope."

"Does colour reflect the artist's inner world?"

"Absolutely! Even more—colour is energy! The energy you share with the outside world. You have to have more than just a vision and a sense of colour, the 'game of the palette'. After all, colour sounds differently on different planes. You need form, vision and composition. The totality of the components is aimed at the construction of the result. It is the state in which the artist lives. Every day. I think the statement that inspiration has to descend on you is wrong. It is you that set the necessary atmosphere for creativity around you. It's such a pleasure that words can hardly explain. It is the happiness of life!"

"But not every endeavour works out all at once, does it?"

"Not every one. And not all at once. Speaking of myself, I admit that I find myself in this situation all the time as well. I have paintings lying around for years. I can't finish them, that's it! Only when my mind can see on the white surface of the canvas every stroke of the brush, the subject line, the direction of the movement do I get down to work. As an artist, I paint mentally from the start. Even when I'm busy with household routine I paint the work with my own eyes. Sometimes the details emerge out of the blue and I realise their applicable to a work in progress. And there were paintings lying around long enough to be finished by me in under an hour."

"Do you practise working on more than one painting in parallel?"

"I do this as long as I know myself! Somehow it just so happens that working on one canvas is not for me. I use the same approach in my courses. Students start working on three paintings: while the oil paints are drying on one canvas, they can work on another without losing time or attitude."

"You are now preparing for your solo exhibition..."

"You won't believe it, but this is my second solo exhibition in my home country. The first was held before I left for Turkey. And now, after two decades, I have relocated almost all my works to Azerbaijan leaving only 25 canvases for myself in Istanbul. If anyone thinks that an artist's work is easy, my fingers will prove otherwise: for a few weeks, I have replaced my brush with a stapler to fasten my newly stretched canvases on stretchers. Preparing for any exhibition involves a certain amount of emotional stress. Putting the paintings in frames is not enough. An important aspect of an exhibition is its exposition. You need to be creative here too to be able to place a lifelong work in a limited space so that the paintings are in tune with each other. For this exhibition is a reflection of everything I have experienced, learnt and felt so far... The Mystery of Colours is a frank account of many things... through the palette."

"Why do people learn to paint?"

"I will tell you why it is important for me to teach people painting. By now, I have fulfilled all my maternal obligations: I raised my children, educated them, helped them to have their own families... Now it is time when I can devote more attention to myself and my art. To immerse myself in the environment that I've been breathing in for as long as I can remember. Believe me, if there's no art, I won't be able to go on living. That said, family will definitely come first, but the reality is that each of the children have their own lives and aspirations. Yes, they love and care for me and their father, but essentially, my today stands on two whales - my spouse and my painting. We have approached that period in our lives when the power of supporting each other is important. I find working only at home and living a lazy life not appealing at all. I necessarily need to be in contact with the canvas, with people. I am filled with communication and I love to teach."