UNIVERSAL PURPOSE OF ART

The complex mix of plant and geometric forms looks like a basis of all things, which constitute both the visible part of this world and the one hidden from us by a soft flair of subtle imaginary transparency. This is what you feel looking at the visual works of Jamila Gashimova. Their plots are like momentary mirages or visions. Spontaneous knots and line crossings fuse, becoming an initial matter that gives life to some new sensations, situations and organisms. She has so far exhibited her "secret" artistic style in Türkiye and France, Switzerland and Iran, Belgium and Germany, Italy and Bulgaria. And each of these exhibitions aroused fascinating genuine interest, immersing viewers in a conditional meditation of colourful palette. After all, each of Jamila HASHIMOVA's works reveals that exquisite flavour of the nostalgic Turkic East, which is so audible and visible in our songs, tales and patterns of gold embroidery. The Turkic East that we remember, when throwing a silk kelaghai over our shoulders, strolling along the streets of the Old Town and reading the patterns on ancient rugs and carpets…

"Apparently, an artist assesses his creativity through his works, especially the public ones..."

"It's difficult for me to assess my works. Perhaps, it is possible when I look at them from a certain distance. I look at some long-forgotten work of mine, trying to assess it in isolation from its authorship, against a sort of emotional scale of mine. Due to personal perceptions, I find my older works much more interesting. They help me remember some facets of my self... Maybe that's the reason I find it hard to part with my paintings. It used to be easy and simple before. But with time and the unexpected discovery of my own interest in my past paintings through a different perspective, I am inclined to believe not all of them should leave home. I think that each work should stay in silence, and I need to see and reinterpret each of them again through my past experience. Today, I admit that many of them give me strength and self-confidence."

"Your own self living in each work and embodied in the colours..."

"My life is strongly connected with art. I received my first special education at the Azim Azimzade School of Art, then graduated from the Faculty of Painting of the Azerbaijan State Institute of Culture and Art. Then I became a member of the Union of Artists of Azerbaijan. Since 2000, I have been the art director of Art Group. In 2014 I started teaching at the Academy of Arts. I like to work in oil. I like black and white and colour graphics. I like to work on ceramic surfaces, copper trays and crockery. I am far from experimenting in other genres. I admit that acrylic paints are my class enemy. Recently I have become interested in philosophy of art and miniature painting. I write profile articles and published my scientific research titled The Influence of Moral and Ethical Code of Islam on the Art of Muslim Countries, particular on Azerbaijan."

"I think it would not be wrong to note that everyone can pave his own path to the goal in the art."

"I'll start with my goals. There are some purely professional ones, of course. But the top goal of an artist can only be the desire to get strength and inspiration for doing fruitful work. Smaller goals can be called just plans for the future. It is no secret that art is a hard work, both spiritually and physically. Yet, in order to refrain from excessive fanaticism, it occasionally becomes necessary to take a break and stop touching the canvas, so that the soul gets a new filling. After all, emptying it without replenishment, splashing it out onto the canvas is nothing but empty rhetoric, which kills the deep essence of the art of painting. And if you have nothing to say, if you have exhausted yourself, why speak? What will you broadcast to the audience? Trivial truths in tattered phrases? Then it is no longer art, but pure commerce, taking you away from the realisation and perception of the spiritual, making your works nothing but yet another pieces of drawing to cover the spots on the wall. This is no longer a creative manifestation of emotions, but a surrogate, even though it may require some inspiration."

"You mean inspiration is a very whimsy substance..."

"Inspiration is a very beautiful and colourful bird that is hard to catch. Working on a painting seems to fly, it feels good. You look round, feeling someone's presence behind you. You turn and see it sitting there... Where does this bird come from? Maybe it's a connection with the Almighty? Maybe some other hidden channel? Or maybe it is a well that you have been digging for years?"

"Brush as a shovel..."

"There must be a reason that the talent and labour are interconnected, labour being a priority. Is this view correct? I do not think I have the right to judge in this case. I think it is a mission.  And if you work, take up your brushes, stir the colours, spend time in front of the canvas, it means that your soul demands it. Talent will always find a way to manifest itself."

"But talent can also be criticised..."

"It is a good old fact that artists don't take criticism well. But what about an advice that can help one stay on the track whatever it is in the future? I think that's worthy of appreciation. The world of art is full of rocks, both lying on the path of one's artistic imagination and on the outer side, the opinions of others. It is fine if the criticism is constructive! As Nizami said, "Create great things in silence!"

"Nizami? Interesting reference..."

"Art is a category of spiritual manifestation of human personality. Apart from being a painter of words, Nizami Ganjavi is also a scientist and philosopher. His experience, knowledge and moral principles are necessary and obligatory for any creative person. Modernists sometimes treat art as a compilation of something fancy in the artist. But this is not quite the right approach. Art is a manifestation of artist's worldview, his concept of beauty and divine essence (soul), being the basis for the creation of artistic works. That is why the concepts of "God's gift", "God's spark" have been used since ancient times."

"Divine providence?"

"The power of art is so great that sometimes I just stop delving into it to understand it in detail. After all, is this detalisation and decomposition of art into atoms worth it? That's why I accept this power without thinking, taking it for granted... At the same time, perhaps, it is magic and enchantment. Art once had a sacred content. Ancient Greeks were very attentive to any form of creativity and considered it a powerful tool. Pythagoras, for example, used music to clean the troubled mind of his students before and after sleep, could easily change and bring to the opposite state the passions of the soul, could relieve those suffering from bodily ailments. Ancient Neoplatonist philosopher Iamblichus wrote in his treatise On the Pythagorean Life that "everything that art does, it does in our body and through our body".

"But looking at what some modern authors offer, one starts thinking of taking care of one's mental health."

"I would not generalise about contemporary art. It's different. It's very rich. Sometimes controversial. But art is a reaction to what is happening at a given period of time in the development of civilisation. The world we have to live in offers a different aesthetic. Yes, mankind still admires the works of the Renaissance. But along with them, one can find the works of impressionists and avant-gardists in museums. Their works reflect the pictorial expression of their period, which for some time was also not adopted by society. Time has proven whether their artistic approaches were true or false. The only thing I don't like is fake and glamourised prosperous art made without an attempt to do some research. Creativity implies constant doubt, which is like a driver for each individual author."

"Does he need to realise that he is part of the bigger picture?"

"Art is a global and international means of communication and has always been aimed at universal values in the process of developing self-awareness. That is why it is possible to find similar artistic works that manifest global ideas, ethical and aesthetic values recognised all over the world. Another proof of the universality of art is that the works of art created by one generation in any part of the world are well-received by the following generations. For example, the architectural monuments of Mimar Sinan, the works of Mozart or Da Vinci are admired by people regardless of their religious affiliation, language, race or social status.

"Art develops even when it goes round in circles. After all, for us, the unknown that came to us and was born before us is also a discovery. Where does art go? Up or down? North or south? It's the same as always. There is nothing new under the Moon, as Ecclesiastes said. The world, the Earth, art is not moving somewhere unknown. The planet has been spinning round and round the sun for millions of years... And art is targeting people in the first place. It is moving to today and tomorrow, building upon the accomplishments made yesterday. Not only towards individuals, but to the whole society. As the German philosopher Hegel said, 'art does not exist for a small closed circle of people; it is not for a few very educated people, but for the whole nation'."

"Especially when art embraces modern technology."

"As to the technological art, I don't find it as horrible as many people describe it. The Greeks referred to both art and industry using the word "techne". Leonardo da Vinci is also known for his technological inventions and gave his name to the National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan, because his research led to many discoveries in the field of science. Lord Byron was an excellent musician and mathematician. Most of the great men were successful, treating art and science as a means of learning about the world and themselves. I think as long as the concept of Beauty and Harmony is not violated, the rest is possible."

"Beauty as a salvation?"

"Can beauty save the world? It has always been a difficult question. Plus, the canons of beauty change over time. It is easy to trace the search for ideal beauty through artistic works. Can art save it? Probably. The world has not collapsed yet, so something is keeping it from happening. Maybe it's Mozart holding it back? Or an unknown artist whose name is known only to the Almighty, and it is for his sake our world is still alive?"

"A man as a mediator?"

"Plutarch believed that there are heroes and geniuses between people and gods. That is, the role of the artist-creator is necessary for society to bring it closer to God and self-perfection. People do not realise this in entirety, and not everyone realises that art is a face of the nation..."

"Creating and explaining such things through any available platform is vital."

"In general, the role of the media in promoting the artist and art is invaluable. It is necessary to educate the masses, teach them art, help them distinguish truth from imitation, beauty from prettiness, purity from dirt, plagiarism from authenticity, soul from soullessness. At the same time, it is desirable to stick to ethical standards, because we cannot ignore the power of words. Professionalism and knowledge of the subject are simply necessary when it comes to art. It is unacceptable when someone is trying to make a fame presenting dilettantism as a profound produce of art! Tastes are raised and enriched. To follow the crowd? After all, it will backfire one day... Especially today, when it is easy to become famous by properly implementing a well-thought PR campaign. But then what?  Then the "genius" finds himself in a difficult situation, when his attempts to hide behind statements such as "I am not an art historian" demonstrate his incompetence. Thus we come to the notion of honesty in art, which is partially contributed to by the media as well. Without this honesty, art ceases to play its educational role."

"Today's society is suffering from mosaic thinking, which requires some form of simplification."

"I have not tried to simplify my art for people. There is no need to do so either. For a self-sufficient artist, who is yet in the constant search of more perfect forms of expression, it means losing something very important, which is difficult to define in words. It is a part of one's own divine essence transmitted to the world through works. So any form of simplification is a distortion of myself as an artist. My rule is to bring beauty into the world, and that is the universal goal of art."

"Your works echo the elements of miniature painting."

"That's true. Lately, I have been impressed by our art of miniature. Miniature is a part of Azerbaijani culture, which is an integral part of the world culture. For me, it is an absolutely incomparable world. Mystical one. Full of mysteries and discoveries. Fascinating and captivating with its pictorial philosophy. After all, miniature painting does not tolerate fussiness. There is a complete immersion in numerous details. Miniature is a kind of music of oriental painting. A world that lives according to its own laws. Slowly and unhurriedly, it familiarises the audience with the peculiarities of our vast and unique world. And I really want to comprehend it as much as possible."

"In your works, you also use non-traditional surfaces for painting. You continue teaching at the academy. As if you are testing your strength."

"It's a very interesting challenge. I am challenging myself. However, this is a challenge for any artist. Stepping out of your comfort zone is a necessary and compulsory rule of life. After finding a path, one may feel incredibly comfortable on it. After all, we can exploit a working model almost indefinitely. But there is no guarantee that one day your development as a creative person is lost behind some conventional prosperity and imaginary demand. Therefore, to avoid stagnation, one should always look for new ways. That's why I began rethinking my past, going back to that fork in the road. Even though I have already chosen one of the paths to follow. Revision of professional path is not an obstacle. An artists needs constant changes. Of course, when he realises that the time for change has come..."