UJAL’S GRANDEUR

The Baku House of Photography is hosting an exhibition called Gənclik (Youth), which showcases not only the original works of famous Azerbaijani artist Ujal Hagverdiyev. Rather, it was a unique story about the atmosphere which shaped his unique artistic style. It was as if the exhibition was a continuation of the past ones, which could only partially reveal the entire scope of Ujal's unique talent. In the run-up to the exhibition, his family members felt it necessary to include a reference to artists of the 1980s—part of his social circle. Today they look at themselves from photos that preserve the spirit of those times. Those who have already gained recognition, experience and come to pay tribute to their youth. The exhibition has become a kind of time machine à la Italian neo-realism, with a scent of the Fellini style, but laced with the tart musk of Absheron. Blending the colours and making inventions were the characteristics of Ujal’s painting style. Using the nuances of his palette, while remaining committed to the classics. And vice versa. His works are eloquent, but can remain grave silent at the same time. By and large, it all boils down to the issue of angles between a viewer and a painting he is looking at. Or maybe the other way round? Each work is filled with individual philosophical subtext, mesmerising and captivating, when it seems that with grasping the meaning of it comes yet another revelation, as originally perceived by the author. We were lucky to touch this magic in a conversation with Yelena Hagverdiyeva who admitted that the series of exhibitions in memory of Ujal would continue. There will be another art exhibition in May, followed by a more detailed presentation of graphic art throughout the year, including but not limited to books...

Y.H.: “It is still difficult to realise that Ujal has not held a single solo exhibition while he was alive. And yet his works have been exhibited in Russia, Georgia, the UAE, France, Tunisia, Austria, Germany and Turkey. Many pictures are kept in private collections in the US, Austria, Germany, Finland and Russia. But everything had long remained silent in his homeland. Or maybe he did not need these solo exhibitions at all? After all, everything around him had always been in motion. And he created an environment that matched his character. Moreover, he developed as an artist in the eighties, when the ideological cliches of the dying system could not resist the young artist's urge to look for other forms of creative expression. It was a time when a new cohort of creators was being formed. Thanks to amateur video footage, we can see various performances. There was Labirint, an association of like-minded artists. Some of their projects remain in the photographs exhibited at the Baku House of Photography.”

"By the way, the Gənclik exhibition is quite interesting in terms of its presentation."

"The idea was to make it different from what we are used to see at regular exhibitions. It refers to the period of birth of the new Azerbaijani art. It is a collaborative product made by people whose works continue the traditions of artists who can now be called classics. Many of those who were part of Ujal’s circle have become prominent artists known far beyond Azerbaijan. But back then we were young, brave and reckless... a bunch of people ‘flowing’ from one studio to another. Searching. Trying things out. Communicating incessantly. And this diversity had its focal point, Ujal. As if he was absorbing this polyphony of thoughts and opinions, filtering them through his own philosophy and transforming them into creative works, trying his skills with various materials, genres and spheres. As if he was touching his personal branch of Creation with a room for every manifestation of art, beauty and harmony."

"Can you describe the creative worlds of Ujal Hagverdiyev?"

"Above all, they were multi-personal, yet individualistic. Those who study his legacy try to classify his works under a certain artistic movement. But I think this is a futile endeavour. Ujal was always studying something. He tried his hand at a wide variety of genres. And it has always been a real passion! Painting and graphic art are the definitive and unquestionable authorities, accompanied by the works with ceramics, wood and stone. There was an amazing period when he was passionate about embroidery. A lot of reading books, studying albums, which later evolved into book graphics. His creative world resounds in his poems, kept in diaries, manuscripts. Ujal’s greatness was defined by time, both individually and collectively. Different and occasionally controversial during his lifetime, his legacy is sparking genuine interest even today. They will continue to study it in the years to come. I began to believe that when two exhibitions of Ujal Hagverdiyev were opened in Baku last year (2022)—One Fate for Two launched by the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum in April, which included the works of both of us, and the retrospective A Conversation in Present opened by YARAT Contemporary Art Space in May. They both took so much efforts that it was clear that they open up perspectives for presenting everything Ujal has been able to create in his short, but incredibly fruitful life."

"Indeed, there is no field in fine arts he has not tried his talents in."

"Ujal loved life and living. So studying it was also part of his creative pursuits. His creative family and the people around him have also contributed to his development. Ujal grew up among these persons, great personalities from whom he learned and absorbed that creative atmosphere, including but not limited to Kamal Ahmed, Rasim Babayev, Murad Ashraf, Sanan Gurbanov... They were his teachers and mentors. Yet each of them would go beyond the accepted traditions of the period. Their views on visual art seemed to resonate with Ujal, with his understanding that everything created by artists is an experience that one should experience and use as a guide that best reveals his own artistic talents. These include the motifs of the Renaissance, oriental motifs with deep roots in miniature painting, with their origins in myths and legends. And lots of love and admiration in his female characters, especially their faces... I think a Man has been the most important subject in Ujal's art. By the way, he studied himself, too, expanding his personal ambience through the search for forms, techniques and ways of doing things. Everything seemed insufficient to him. Or maybe he was simply in a hurry to live. His big heart contained the whole world, the world of his talent, which had no boundaries..."

"All the conversations about Ujal's work always lead to a temple."

"This was an amazing road, and I think the general contours of this road started to shape a long time ago. Ujal's mother, Vera Ivanovna Kalinina, was born in Ulyanovsk, in the Volga region of Russia. Ujal told me that they would sometimes go there in the summer. On one of those visits, one of his aunts gave him a gospel. If I am not mistaken, she had once decided to serve God and became a nun. We still keep that book. Today, when I think of her, I think that the gospel she presented to Ujal became a symbol of the road that took him to the temple. Although, every time I start to prepare for each of his exhibitions, I feel that his whole journey was a gradual journey in that direction. He transferred his thoughts to his diaries: "I have always put my soul into my works. It is my soul that told me how to paint. And sometimes I was able to achieve what it demanded from me. It is my soul that chose the people I loved. I believe in God with my soul, for it is the only thing that understands what the minds of others (arguing about the Trinity) are not able to do. And the soul is of God, and it keeps the God, it seeks Him. And nobody can forbid the soul to do what it does. The soul is very demanding, that is why I often redone my good paintings, to understand what the soul needs, not for the sake of the painting". So the life of the person and artist Ujal Hagverdiyev ‘decided’ that painting of the chapel of the Holy Apostle Bartholomew of the Holy Archangel Michael Church in Baku be the peak of his creativity. Unfortunately, the last one..."

"...but the one that matched his talent in terms of the scale of the work."

"Ujal was incredible. He was a genius, as much as the definition of this terms goes. Whatever he did, he created something that had never been done before. He had a surprising ability to see things differently. He could present his views in a new way that reflected his creative perception. I remember him always talking about his great desire to paint a church. He was talking about that since the beginning of our romantic relationship when we were studying together. At the time it was hard and unrealistic to even think about such things. The Soviet Union, where the Church was being degraded! Those who practised religion were socially ostracized! And there was a man talking about God and the things related to his teachings and rituals. That was the first time I learned about Christmas. Even though we celebrated Easter in our own way. Then, one January night, Ujal came and lit a candle. This startled my mother—I lived with heart the time—and quickly set up the table. It was the first time we celebrated Christmas at home together."

"Surprising indeed..."

"One day, after joining a church service, Ujal met Father Seraphim, who was then the rector of the temple. He passionately told him about his intention and asked him to let him make it true. The father’s answer was simple: "If it comes from your heart, you will surely paint the church”. It is difficult to express how much such words encouraged Ujal. Especially since it is one of the oldest churches in the city, with its own history and legends about the sea and the chapel that was created from scratch. A ship that will sail throughout time. The architecture of the temple resembled the contours of a vessel. The stairs were like steps taking the parishioners to God through the whirlpools of passions and currents of doubt year after year. The first step was an icon with the face of the Virgin Mary. After seeing it, the Most Reverend Bishop of Baku Alexander blessed Ujal to continue his works."

"Quite a serious piece of work..."

"Church painting is a special kind of painting. Perhaps the term 'living work' should fit it better. Ujal's artistic arsenal includes many works with images of Madonnas. He studied iconography very seriously and tried to use these techniques in his paintings. Not only Ujal did take full responsibility for the artistic part of his work, but he also supervised every stage of the repair and construction works, the creation of the iconostasis. I think that he tried to do as much as possible. I remember that time in detail. His close friends, students, people who cared were beside him at that time..."

"But he never got to see the full product..."

"Indeed, he remained true to himself again. He had a habit of postponing his works. Why? Only he knew. He left a great number of unfinished works. Some of them are included in the Gənclik exhibition, as people need to see them. They are no less valuable than Ujal's finished and acknowledged works. They cover the long five years of Ujal's life lived in defiance of doctors' predictions. I remember Father Serafim asking me to complete the painting of the church. To say that I could not even think about it is to say nothing. But his arguments were so profound that, with the support of friends and colleagues, we were able to finish the mission."

"I believe the frescoes and icons of St. Bartholomew's parish are the most incredible display of Ujal's creative legacy. A blessed display."

"I’ve never viewed his works from that perspective. Undoubtedly, he put his heart into that work. It was his life's work. Apparently, it was the will of Who Ujal has never failed to believe and trust. Rather, I would say his painting of the temple is an example of unique tolerance. Equality before the Almighty. This is indeed a unique case when a stylish Azerbaijani artist born in a Muslim country was baptised and had a chance to paint a Christian temple in full. It is an amazing life story. And it is worth telling it even in the format of a traditional exhibition ever and ever."