LIGHT AND DARKNESS

A handsome guy with subtle face looks and sparkling eyes on the photo from the late 60s — typical features of a person who passionately loves his life. Type of a man that women usually adore, looking for the ideal model set by the 20^th-century European cinema. Today, however, the ideals of male beauty have changed, and boys with similar complexion are called metrosexual. Handsome, favourite of companies, a talented, successful artist Ashraf Murad (Muradov) in his incomplete 30 years was already recognized, popular and in demand.

Genius

He graduated from the Azim Azimzadeh Art School in Baku and the Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in Leningrad (St. Petersburg). He has brilliantly mastered the skills of the Russian classical school. He received orders and painted his paintings, splashing out all the joy and love of life on canvas. But this is only the very beginning of his creative path. Tragic events of life divided his work into two stylistically different periods: socialist realism in the first period of his life, a true artist of the Russian realistic school, and an avant-garde artist in the second period of his life. However, this will not happen immediately. If it were not for Ramiz Abutalybov, who in 1984 first raised the issue of restoring justice to the undeserved oblivion of a genius artist, then we probably would not have learned that we had a real genius who once lived among us, his fellow compatriots.

In the very beginning of the 80s, Russian art historian Grigory Anisimov and Ramiz Abutalybov, an Azerbaijani, head of foreign relations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan, deputy of the Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan SSR, met in Moscow. Anisimov showed Abutalybov one of the works of Ashraf and said that he was extremely surprised that the artist was simply not noticed in his homeland, although he fully deserved a personal exhibition. It is not difficult to imagine Ramiz Abutalybov’s reaction to Anisimov's remark. As soon as he returned to Baku, Abutalybov invited the Chairman of the Union of Artists of Azerbaijan Yusif Huseynov to the Central Committee.

From the memoirs of R. Abutalybov: "I cautiously hinted to him that it would be nice to show the works of Ashraf Murad in Baku. But Y. Huseynov replied: "Ashraf was not mentally healthy, his works do not fit into the ideological framework of social realism." Refusal of Ashraf’s colleague outraged me. "If you don’t organise an exhibition of Ashraf Murad’s paintings, I’ll have no other choice but change my attitude towards you. Think about it," I told him, and apparently my words had an effect. In October 1984, we organised the first exhibition of Ashraf's works in Baku. At the same time, a rather modest catalogue of his works was published (Strana newspaper, 2007). This first exposition shocked the residents of Baku with the depth of view of the artist’s works and the greatest mastery of composition, colour, and brushwork.

"Casual meeting"

Here we have the "right" pioneers and the completely "wrong" classmate, who apparently missed school. So what, that belt is tucked into the book, which he probably read before reaching the school? This is an offense unworthy of the Soviet pioneer! Conflict of views and relationships, an attempt from childhood to lay down the need to "walk in order" and be like everyone else...

"Griboyedov and Bakikhanov"

What are they talking about staying on a hill? Diplomatic secretary for foreign affairs, Alexander Griboyedov and translator of oriental languages ​​Bakikhanov, both of whom served in the office of Commander-in-Chief of Russian troops in the Caucasus, General Yermolov? It is said that they were friends. Griboyedov holds a notebook and a pencil in his hands. Do friends talk about Azerbaijani folklore and literature looking at the hills? Or maybe they are talking about the lands of Karabakh? After all, on his way to Iran, Griboyedov wrote to the Russian Tsar about the tragic mistake of the emperor, who had given permission to resettle Armenians from Turkish lands during the well-known events in Turkey.

"Sea Drilling"

One of the routine days of Soviet life. On the platform, in the centre of the image, are men and women recording measurements. The wind stirs up the surface of the sea, beating on the edges of the platform, but people are smiling and calm. They do their job confidently and joyfully. And this is their truth of life.

"Cable way"

It was built and opened on May 5, 1960. The area around the cable way had a slightly different look. However, Bahram Gur - the hero of Nizami's Seven Beauties – is still in front of the entrance decorating a small square with his view. They say that the model for creating the image of a literary hero was a friend of the sculptor, Gorkmaz Sujaddinov, also an artist, one of the authors of the project Albert Mustafayev. The light and joyful tones of the picture are the hymn of a joyful and happy life. This period is outstanding in Ashraf's life because all his works made in this period radiate joyful peace and harmony.

Story with a criminal motive

The artist's works are so bright and life-affirming that the thoughts about the happy and completely harmonious life of their author come by themselves. But why then did Yusif Huseynov say about the remarkable artist Ashraf Muradov "not mentally healthy"? Now we step into a realm of a terrible and tragic detective story. Imagine a handsome, successful artist, recognized and demanded, fully secured, and so much so that he could buy an expensive Mercedes - the only one of its kind in the city! Now imagine that in the 60s our hero was a little over 30. He is young, handsome, in love with life and his friends. They spend time together, and Ashraf enjoys evening walks around the city with his friends in his expensive car. On one of these evenings, after a party, police stopped them. Of course, they were tipsy. Police had every reason to stop the car and fine the drunk driver, and at worst put him in a bullpen for a day. Unfortunately for Ashraf, the plot had a different ending. Young people and police had a heated discussion. Ashraf was especially impatient. This is very strange, because his contemporaries remember him as "a modest, shy and calm guy." He was taken to the police station and with extreme cruelty, hit in the head. It is not clear how and why such lynching was allowed in Soviet times. It is also not clear why such a successful, well-known and caretaking artist was beaten to a half-dead state, so much so that his relatives had to put him in a psychiatric hospital for some time. That was the end of wonderful life for the handsome guy and brilliant artist.

Between heaven and earth

A completely different life Began. Life, ousted by someone's boots, who hit him in the head with particular cruelty, beyond the limits of harmonious reality. Girls liked him and he was fascinated by them too. But as we can read from the letters in Ashraf's archives, his whole life was devoted to a single girl named Sevil, whom he once met on one of Baku’s streets in his youth and was so amazed and fascinated by her beauty that he retained this feeling for the rest of his life. There is a large number of letters written, but not sent to her. The one who covered his life with the light of her beauty all these years: before and after the tragedy. In one of the letters, he admitted: "When I was particularly sad, I mentally spoke with you and I became calmer."

When Ashraf left the hospital, he was a completely different person. Now he was in the border zone between good and evil. Between white and black. Between light and darkness. Between heaven and hell. His look no longer sparkled with joy. From there, from the depths of his soul, poured the heavy energy of thought trampled upon human dignity. Where were all his friends at this time? Why didn’t anyone dare to save the talented and successful guy from police boots, letting him to suffer punishment? But his executioners and victim lived in the same city, walked along the same streets, breathed the same air! Why? Who can now answer all these questions? In 1979, he was gone. They say that the last years of his life he lived particularly hard and lonely. His workshop on the Inshaatchilar Avenue was also his home. He had no family. And, apparently, no friends left...

Protest

The golden youth of the sixties! They knew a lot about beauty, how to be friends and, keeping the great power of friendship, lived according to the laws of brotherhood — the most professional and humane one. They are probably the best part of the historical heritage that we could take with from the Soviet past. But how did it happen that this handsome, talented, clever guy and genius found himself in psychological isolation? Why did not he have friends with him in the car that night? Were they in a restaurant? No clue. Why could no one protect and support him that night? No idea… Ashraf was left alone with his problem, which was so painful that he took his pain to black and red colours on his paintings. From there, from the depths of the subconscious, the gloomy genius of the artist emerged, denying the harmony and perfection of man. From now on, a powerful destructive force will transfer his verdict of life to the Soviet reality, so as not to forgive the Harmony that has been crammed with his boots and taken from him.

Ashraf Murad... It is impossible to hold his look with your own from a photograph of the 70s. There is something almost infernal in this look. And so much inhuman pain and suffering... His works of the "protest" period are mostly painted in black and red tones. Images are planar. Now his characters have strange facial expressions, as if they hold some kind of a mystical secret.

"Tehran Conference"

We can see Joseph Stalin in the foreground. Phalanges of his fingers, which he squeezes a cigarette with, look unnaturally long. Knitted eyebrows, slightly gloomy eyes. He looks somewhere deep into the room. Behind him are faceless associates. What does he see in that space? And what does the artist see? What is so important in Stalin to the artist? What is his dialogue with time?

"Valentina Tereshkova"

He draws her repeatedly. Why? A woman in black stands in front of a black microphone. There is a black pen on the table. She does not lean her hands on the table. They are almost hopelessly lowered down to the table. A sad half-smile, lowered eyelashes... The astronaut woman is clearly holding back something. But what?

"Protest against nuclear war"

This is one of his latest works. No black, no red, no burgundy. Bright hues everywhere. But why do children turned their backs to us? They do not want to see this world; they do not want to share the world with us. Only a Woman looks at us over her left shoulder, as if asking whether we follow them in their journey. There is a narrow strip of water between the children and the Woman, either a river or a stream. What is it? Abhorred Styx, the flood of deadly hate? Or one of the rivers of Hades? Or maybe this is the artist's requiem for everything that has never happened in his life: neither the mutual love of the woman he loved to the last breath, nor the family, nor the children... A life that never existed. The injury from the beatings forced him to switch to avant-garde painting.

From Sara Novruzova’s article Thirst: "The works of Ashraf Muradoghlu, a master of colour, who has no equal in Azerbaijani art, impress by the foresight of the artist, avant-garde composition and the style of brushwork."

Retrospective exhibition of Murad's works in the Azerbaijan Museum of Paintings of the 20th-21st centuries is not just a tribute to the memory of the prominent artist. In fact, this is his long-awaited dialogue with people. This time he will not be interrupted. In 2008, our fellow compatriots, the Kinght of the Legion of Honour Order, Ramiz Abutalybov, and Professor Yevgeny Popov published a book in Moscow titled Ashraf Murad: Magical Realism. Grigory Anisimov, an art historian and a prominent expert of Azerbaijani fine art, compiled the respective album. Ashraf Murad returned from oblivion to his people...