MAJNUN OF HIS MOTHERLAND

It may seem that we know everything about the famous Azerbaijani artist Sattar Bahlulzadeh. Or almost everything. Numerous works have been written on his life and works, his diaries have been scrupulously studied, his paintings can be found in Russian museums and exhibition halls… Nevertheless, for the first time in several decades, Bahlulzadeh's fans can get up close with that part of his works, which would otherwise remain hidden – his authentic sketches. Melody of Strokes is an exhibition with more than 130 of such works. The organisers have tried to accurately reflect the conceptual content of Bahlulzadeh's legacy, which can be divided into several parts: portraits, landscapes, still-lifes, and impressions.

The Secret of the Name

The name Sattar is of Arabic origin and means someone who can forgive, a forgiver. The reason why a child born on December 15, 1909 was given this name remains unknown. Neither do we know whether his relatives interpreted the meaning of the name differently. But as far as the sounding is concerned, Sattar sounds soothingly harmonious. Dental 's', open 'a', double tees and the voiced 'r' in the end caress the ear, as if calming and protecting you like a robust shield. According to Bahlulzadeh's contemporaries, he was the same kind of person for his relatives and friends – a reliable shield from everyday problems and misfortunes. He could forgive regardless of what one has done to him in the past, without harming anyone. He was truly a man of Renaissance. A man with high humanistic ideals. His works clearly confirm these features.

His Portraits

The longer and closer one looks at the faces of men and women on the portraits, the more clearly one understands that they are unique. Ideal features illuminate powerful internal content. We do not know who is depicted in these portraits. It is quite possible that these are the artist's contemporaries – someone who used to live next to him. But it is also possible that this is a product of his creative imagination. All these people reflect the artist's thoughts of individuals that had influenced the course of historical events: military leaders, wise rulers. Bahlulzadeh was particularly interested in the poet Fuzuli. It is known that Bahlulzadeh admired him as both a philosopher and a poet. He shared the views of Fuzuli on our world and loved his land and the culture of his people same as the poet. Bahlulzadeh was proud that Fuzuli was a fellow compatriot. Hence his numerous sketches of Majnun, which is not a tribute to history, but an attempt to look at the essence of the problem through the eyes of Fuzuli. Researchers of the artist and his contemporaries claim that Sattar was also known as Majnun for his agonising love for Azerbaijan.

There is a few sketches of female portraits. We do not know who exactly is depicted on them. But it is not the issue of authenticity! After all, it could be a woman from the inner circle of the artist. It is not important at all. The main thing is that these sketches bear a reference to the Soviet era. Speaking of time, there is a sketch that has never been exhibited before. For the sake of simplicity, let's call it The Flow of Time. In the background, we can see some horse riders dressed in the clothes of the 17^th century. In the foreground are the characters from the 20^th century. Something to ponder on...

Still-lifes

Bahlulzadeh is well known for his still-lifes teeming with peculiar national features. That is why one can see grapes or plant sprigs next to pomegranates, or just pomegranates. In his diaries, Bahlulzadeh often mentioned the importance of addressing national themes in still-lifes. Thanks to the national style, the artist created his own expressive and unique paintings...

Landscapes

It seems that they take you to the past, where you can witness the life of another space-time continuum. They are full of life, the breath of Time, daily lives of people, even if they cannot be seen on the canvass. This, by the way, is the most striking aspect of Bahlulzadeh's creativity: we feel, see and understand the life of people from sketch, although we cannot see them. But they are there! Invisible, recognisable, exciting. There are also sketches of landscapes, where we see the people living their daily lives. Here is a family preparing for a long trip, stopped to have some rest and dine. On another sketch, we can see women with jugs collecting water from a tap. Yet another one shows oilmen, depicting a whole story about their everyday life filled with human emotions. On this theme, they are solving complex production issues. It is amazing that Sattar Bahlulzadeh could easily do what the great Italians of the Quattrocento period (early Renaissance) spent a lot of time and efforts. This is a harmonious and holistic image of nature and man.

Impression

It seems that nothing was impossible and unattainable for this artist. Judging from his first published sketches, he could easily shift the style from graphic to painting. That is why his impression works look so organic and express a true love of the artist for his native land. Maybe it sounds exaggerated, but this exhibition fills you with a deeper understanding of how the love, fierce and deep love of the native land and culture can empower one to do creative experiments. Researchers say that Bahlulzadeh even used to keep diaries using multi-coloured pens to write in Azerbaijani language with Arabic script. Even this small detail confirms Bahlulzadeh's drive to search for artistic excellence to see the world more perfect.

Biography

They say that Bahlulzadeh was a man of extreme modesty. In 1966, after a group of Czech historians of art visited Baku and saw his graphic works, they arranged Bahlulzadeh's personal exhibition in Prague. Sattar Bahlulzadeh was the first Azerbaijani artist to present his works in Europe. The exhibition was a great success. Thanks to this exhibition, our artists began cultural integration into another, non-Soviet art space. The Prague Museum of Art still holds separate sheets of graphic works presented by the artist as a gift to the museum. Later, the artist's works were exhibited in Cairo, Damascus, Paris, Montreal, Havana, Vienna, Berlin, New York, London, Istanbul, Bonn, Tbilisi, Minsk, Moscow, Riga, and Kiev.

Artistic intrigue for contemporaries

It is said that Sattar Bahlulzadeh had a striking quality – he knew how to be a noble, reliable, faithful friend. On the walls of the houses of his fellow artists, he created unique paintings: a memory left for next generations. The memory is not only about the author, but also about the time in which they all lived - the artist and his friends.

From the Bulletin of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan, №6, 2011

"The pictures depicted in Bahlulzadeh's diaries are impressive. They look like illustrations made for his diaries, so accurately they convey the artist's sincere mood, but they also let you know what and how he planned to create, how he used to achieve his goals. It becomes clear that the artist dreamed of creating a monumental triptych on Azerbaijan."

The personal exhibition organised by the Museum of Modern Art was dedicated to the 110^th anniversary of the national artist of Azerbaijan, the State Prize winner, the founder of the lyrical landscape in the visual art of Azerbaijan, Sattar Bahlulzadeh (1909-1974). His creativity opened a new page in the painting art of Azerbaijan.