In full

We continue to acquaint you with the collection of works by artists of Kyrgyzstan from the collection of the Kyrgyz Museum of Fine Arts named after Gapar Aitiev through the eyes of art historian Gamal Bokonbaev. Do you see something different in these works? Or, on the contrary, do you fully agree with the opinion of a professional art critic? Maybe his point of view helps you see something you did not notice before?

Sabitjan Bakashev (1941-1988) – Kyrgyz Soviet muralist, painter. Born in Ak-Terek village, Ton district, Issyk-Kul region. He graduated from the Frunze Art College (1957-1960), the Leningrad Higher Art and Industrial School named after Mukhina workshop of A.K. Kazantsev (1960-1966). He took part in exhibitions since 1960 (from the age of 19), became a member of the Union of Artists since 1967.

Usta Sabyr. 129×89, 1977.

I remember the triptych “Usta*” by Suimenkul Chokmorov in 1984. Chokmorov has an abundance of objects, and this is justified: the image appears from the multitude. However, this work is done differently: only those objects are presented that reveal the meaning of what is happening. Before us is a specific person, a master in the manufacture of kyyak – a national bowed instrument. He is dressed in everyday work clothes: a suit-trousers, a kalpak** on his head, boots on his feet. Sits on a chair and plays, listens to the sound. Nearby on the table are a workpiece and an adze. Abstract background. And that is all! Nothing extra, distracting. We do not even see all the legs of the chair (stool). Critics have a place to roam: “I don’t see four legs!”. Is it really that important? The artist showed us the essence of what is happening – the workpiece has yet to become a musical instrument. The master, before continuing to work, listens intently to the sound of an already finished instrument. Doubts: “Am I on the right track? Is it too late to fix? We must do better! So that the sound conveys the soul of the people!”… The picture is not words, not literature. The artist conveys his thoughts through painting. Sound is the energy of the primitive. Everything ingenious is simple, and the master will not show off. No decor! Art is a brutal construct. This is concentration! This abstraction from the rest of the world! Aksakal does not sit on a chair – he got up from tension.  Оld age is receding mangled by hard work.

* Usta – master (Kyrgyz) 
**Kalpak – traditional male headdress

Portrait in white. Canvas, oil, 100.2×84.8.

A woman in a white dress is sitting in an easy chair with a cape, resting her hands on a wooden armrest. Beautiful, strict, elegant. Strong and tall, judging by the proportions. The axis of the composition is shifted to the left, an abstract background opens on the right. The background becomes an important element of the composition! Dynamic strokes set off the restraint of the figure and face. The head rests on the edge of the picture and the bottom of the figure is cut off, the feet are not visible. The main thing is a white dress! And, of course, the face! Dark skin, black hair, black eyes… blue whites of the eyes make white even whiter. Made generalized, monumental and, at the same time, the portrait is deeply individual. We know her! Seen recently! We do not remember where! So the typical is exactly guessed. Is the typical also an element of composition? Difficult to say, too difficult…. And we don’t know anything about her. Gaze. Perhaps she is an athlete and may have worn a white dress for the first time in her life. Is mourning over? Paphos collar with ruffles. The neck gives out tension, the tension in closed knees. Feeling out of place? But with what dignity! With the dignity of a queen! Portrait in white – Goddess of purity! Is it a symbol? Maiden Goddess? Or, nevertheless, – the Eternal bride?

Poetry. Canvas, oil, 100×100, 1978.

In the classroom, two students, young and slender girls, are standing at the table. One has a small red book in her hand, she reads poetry at a seminar on the elimination of poetic illiteracy. She is wearing an orange blouse and a blue skirt. Behind her is a friend in a brown dress. The window is open, the curtains are fluttering in a fresh breeze. Wide strokes indicate the space of the room, laconic lines are drawn: figures, a window, a table and books on the table. Strokes indicate details of faces, folds of clothing. Dark walls do not appear black and they amplify the light. Blue shadows are not cold – they are purity and freshness. And even brown looks uncharacteristic here – light, elegant. Written without academic undertakings, but this is not agitation or propaganda. And not monumental painting. This is poetry! The charm of youth, romance, enthusiasm and energy. And a beautiful… pose. This is not yet faith – a painted passion, this is not yet love – a picturesque love. Girls are in love with poetry and infect others with their enthusiasm. For just one minute you stop being illiterate and believe that the main thing in this world is poetry! Poems about ideal love, unrealizable hope, about fabulous faith!

News. Oil on canvas, 178.5×199, 1969.

The well-known art critic Olga Popova writes the following about this work: “… the painting “Vesti”, dedicated to Kyrgyzstan during the Great Patriotic War, is restrained in color. She, like other paintings by Bakashev, according to a generalized conditional the nature of the interpretation of the landscape environment and human images is close to the style of monumental painting of this period, but it has the power of deep emotional impact inherent in the easel* painting. It harmoniously developed the color scheme, subtly emphasized the musicality of the linear movement, which achieved the plastic integrity of the canvas. A good knowledge of the national character and ethnographic realities contributed to the creation of a truthful and deep artistic image in the decorative and monumental plan.

In a remote mountain camp, jailoo, there is no radio and the residents receive news from the front from newspapers. Reads the newspaper to the assembled invalid of the war. He sits on a stump, with his back to the viewer, holding a newspaper in his hands, holding a crutch with his elbow. His dark overcoat stands out – this is the center of the composition. The reader and riders form a strong diagonal. The white felt of the yurt, the white shirt of the boy, the white newspaper and the white foal – these light spots create the necessary static. Play their role, and the contours of the mountains, and the sun at sunset. Fifteen people gathered: mostly old people, women, children. They stand tight, together. The old men are dressed in dark clothes and the women are lighter. All focused listening, sad and different. A guy, already of draft age, attracts the eye, and the girl does not take her eyes off him … The groom? Betrothed? Why did the white foal hide its muzzle behind the old man’s chapan? Why did the artist depict him like this? A little ugly. The animal does not understand what is happening? Why show it in full? And half of the horse disappeared somewhere. The artist illuminated the figures and faces according to the plan, and this inner light coming from everywhere gives the picture an optimistic sound.

Ak-Terek people are my countrymen. Canvas, oil, 136×165, 1984.

A well-known artist in a fashionable leather coat and a white turtleneck came to his native village and greeted his fellow villagers. Talk about your successes! The old people listen to him with disbelief: one, with a drooping look, maintains an impassive expression on his face; the other stands behind everyone and hides great doubts behind a smile. A young man, wearing a hat, representative of the rural intelligentsia, probably a teacher, openly rejoices. An older woman supports him and approves and admires him. The beauty stared straight at the viewer (or at someone else?), but she is dreaming about something of her own, and her gaze wanders in far-reaching plans…. The group is moved to the left to show the edge of the village in the distance. Sheep graze on the outskirts. Roofs turn white among dense monochromatic greenery. This happens in early autumn. And it’s getting colder. Women are wrapped in long white scarves. And the men are dressed warmly…. What are you talking about? Perhaps the collective farmers ask: “Do they pay well? More than bosses? For what? Art? Culture? Ah-ah-ah! Then work, dzhigit! And don’t forget us”. Countrymen should not be forgotten, you need to stick to the roots. It is necessary to preserve traditions and develop modernity. The artist asserts himself: he is not a boss, not a party member, not a prosecutor, and, nevertheless, he lives well and enjoys the respect of people and the authorities highly appreciate him. For what? We have the power of culture in our country! Art! The power of the human spirit! …. Now we do not even dream about it. And the villagers again ask a quite reasonable question: “What should artists be paid for?”  And there is nothing to answer? You can mumble something about the future, when there will be a complete merger of the city and the countryside… 

At the spring. Canvas, oil, 150×120, 1980.

Two girls and two women are standing near the artesian water intake. They are dressed in the simplest peasant clothes, long and closed. One woman has a bucket in her hands, another bucket is filled with water. They came in pairs for water. Seniors and juniors. The environment is marked very conditionally. The space is rounded with textured strokes around the tree. The crown is like a white cloud. Apricot blooms! Spring! Four figures landed from the semicircle, stand on an inclined plane and now disappear again into the whirlwind of the universe. The composition is fantastic! But ideologically sustained. The author wants to tell us about how good it became in the villages: they drilled deep wells and provided the population with clean water. The population thanks the government. They gather in the spring at the column and chirp merrily. What else is needed for complete happiness? The figures are deliberately primitive. And thoughts are primitive …. No matter how! How they talk! One woman pities the other, almost crying from indignation and humiliation. And the girl finds out what she doesn’t like. Became strict, like a sparrow. It turns out that everything else – water, spring, composition – is twisted around this spiritual center! Back to primitivism! To the proto-renaissance! To Giotto*!

* Giotto di Bondone (1266-1337) – Italian painter and architect of the XIV century, one of the first representatives of the proto-Renaissance **

. A key figure in the history of Western European art. Overcoming the previous Byzantine icon-painting tradition, Giotto became the founder of the Italian school of painting, developed a new approach to depicting space. Giotto’s works were inspired by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael Santi, Michelangelo Buonarroti.

** Proto-Renaissance – a stage in the history of Italian culture preceding the Renaissance, that is, the Renaissance.

Oil pipeline “Druzhba” (Friendship). Oil on canvas, 138×157.5, 1975.

Druzhba is the world’s largest system of main oil pipelines. It was built in the distant 60s, it delivered oil from the USSR to Europe! Before us is a part of this system – an oil refinery. It is surrounded by pipes and roads, they enter from the right and go down. Where? Where? Where is all this located? It doesn’t matter. This is an abstract creation of human hands on planet Earth! Cylindrical tanks, spherical installations, parallelepipeds of workshop buildings, some tall technological devices. In general, the socialist realist production theme …. But in the 70s, the production theme changed! And the author brilliantly noticed it. In the center are red flags, administrative buildings and … personal cars. These bosses drove right into the factory area. The path of the workers is quite different. From multi-storey microdistricts, by bus, to a public transport stop. And from there on foot, through the crossroads. The pipes bent to let the colorful ants into the belly of the monster, the road goes underground…. The yellow signal coloring dominates, contrasting with the color of the gray-blue concrete buildings, but the overall tone of the work is pale. This is done so that we see the main thing – people and feel the human scale …. Now the Druzhba oil pipeline is perceived differently. Oil needle of Russia! Gas noose of the West! Not Friendship – Enmity! Back in 1975, the artist was in happy ignorance, but ingeniously felt the basic contradiction: a person is crushed by the monstrous scale of his fantastically crazy activity.

My city. Oil on canvas, 149×149, 1978.

Under the mountains there are white panels of microdistricts, they soar like clouds in the sky! In the very center, surrounded by greenery, there is a bronze monument on a granite pedestal. This is not a specific hero! The characteristic gesture of the leader of the world proletariat is not visible! According to the author’s concept, in the center of a socialist city, people should sing the exploits of abstract fighters for the happiness of the working people. There is also a building with a portico and a red flag. It conditionally denotes the White House of the leaders of the city and the country. The roofs of the old city are turning yellow, they have their own long history! Vertical poplars seem to imitate a granite pedestal. And willows, elms, lindens, maples, arborvitae … trees and shrubs form a continuous green thicket. In small glades, the townspeople have a cultural rest: young people play ball; old people are having leisurely conversations; the lovers retired to the depths of the garden. Not enough blue fountains. There are no reservoirs and rivers either, probably they did not fit into the author’s concept. Indeed, in our city there are no normal embankments and well-groomed reservoirs. By the way, subtle criticism of individual omissions … The overall tone of the work is pale, green-blue. And they add saturation: blue sky-mountains at the very edge of the picture, ribbons of white buildings at the top, dashes of yellow roofs in the middle, and ridges of dark mountains below. A talented artist put it all together and created a feeling of harmony, happiness, and the future! Made with soul, talented, and too … approximately, too conditional. In the 70s, artists began to use the methods of monumental painting in easel paintings. Most likely, this design sketch was not approved by the artistic council: they did not accept the subtle criticism of the lack of normal embankments and well-groomed reservoirs. And the performer, without thinking twice, turned the labor expended into a museum exhibit. 

Spring. Oil on canvas, 104.3×129.3, 1974.

A group of young people gathered near a bench in a flowering park. Three boys and four girls. Three are sitting, two have turned their backs to the viewer, forming a depth. If you see here only the verticals of the figures, the horizontal of the bench, the diagonals of the eyes and the color accent of the scarf, it will be boring. Interesting… wordless conversation…. Let’s start with the girl in the red scarf. She does not look at anyone, she droops sadly, but her whole figure whispers about something very important to the guy in the yellow sweater. And he, the bastard, does not notice her and looks up at the light green shoots in the hands of a girl in blue. Both coo with tender leaves and try to hide what cannot be hidden. The guy in blue is silent, sitting with his back to the viewer and to the girl in the red scarf. He cannot choose. It seems that all his sympathies are for blue, but he also likes the girl in the sleeveless jacket. And happiness can be … behind your back. And the girl in the sleeveless jacket turns to the guy in the brown jumper. And he, the bastard, does not notice her, sat down next to her on the bench, folded his arms on his chest and looked defiantly at the girl in the red scarf, as if shouting about his feelings! The polygon is closed. Remained outside the group As a girl in white, she clearly wants to join the general conversation and seems to be formally included (in all diagonals and verticals of the composition), but she is superfluous here.

The talented muralist turned out to be a brilliant playwright. We called it literary and were mistaken. We decided that abstract aggression and senseless exaltation were enough, and we lost the ability to speak concretely. About spring provocateur! About unrequited love, deceitful happiness and the paradoxes of creativity.

Day of rest. Oil on canvas, 70×91, 1974.

City landscape, impression from abroad. Perhaps it was a creative business trip to the Baltic states, or perhaps to one of the countries of the socialist Commonwealth. Dark, damp ground: after rain, a small puddle glistens. The lack of greenery becomes a frightening symbol. The red roof and red walls look like red ocher, tiles, bricks. Dense historical buildings, nothing remarkable. Flared jeans, colorful clothes, a man in a white coat with a white poodle on a leash. It’s all so simple… and different. Desirable foreign land! Suprematism of the streets, minimalist design and brutal texture. The windowless wall is plastered with vertical strokes, while the sky and earth are horizontal. The empty wall dominates! The empty square dominates! And the red planes, together with colored figures, create a toy mood of aniline modernity. Dark passages hint at the perspective and the metaphysics of space! … I wanted to make our domestic artist a Euro-picture – and I did it! Understood their compositional paradoxes perfectly well! Appreciate the beauty of the empty walls! Poetry of pure lines! Genius flat planes! But the pedestrians turned out to be too straightforward. They do not rest – the refined products of their soulless urbanization are in a hurry somewhere. But the absence of trees is scary, is it really going to be the same with us?

Festive morning. Oil on canvas, 128.5×148.5, 1980.

From the very early morning, well-dressed people voluntarily-compulsorily go to the central square of the capital to greet their leaders, their guiding and guiding force. They go under red banners, slogans, balloons. By balloons, by greenery, by clothes, you can determine that this is a May Day demonstration! Red is the color of ideology. There is very little of it. He accentuates! Green-blue is the color of early morning, the color of spring greenery and inexplicable joy! He dominates. Ocher and shades of brown are the color of the human flow, it flows and vibrates! Trees and buildings are large volumes, and people with their agitation are small details. The sun has not yet risen, or maybe it is covered by clouds, and the colors seem to glow surrounded by complementary shades. And the light comes from where it is necessary, according to compositional necessity. Poplars stretched out, willows and maples spun, arborvitae spun. A slogan artist could show what holiday he means, but he doesn’t. He draws a fresh morning, and how great it is when people, adults and children, get together and walk around their hometown. Ahead, girls are walking in a cheerful flock, all in skirts. Behind them are the rest, and one cheerful uncle shows Vladimir Ilyich Lenin with a gesture: “Everyone after the girls! Comrades, you are on the right path!” … The artist camouflaged his irony a bit. Although in the 80s no one hid the irony. A talented artist makes us take a broader look at the festive morning in the USSR.

Panfilov street. Canvas, oil, 110×85, 1970.

One can only guess what place is depicted in the picture. Most likely, it is somewhere between Kievskaya and Toktogul. This is a small square, which in the 80s became the courtyard of the clinic. Now this place is fenced off and is called the “Clinical Hospital for the Administration of the President and the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic.” But perhaps a different place is depicted. A lot has changed in the city, new buildings have appeared, and some have been demolished. And there are more cars now. And the artist depicts them deliberately small in comparison with passers-by and a cyclist. This is the position! May rains, greenery of a timidly pale color appeared, surrounded by light gray, brick ocher red stands out with accents. It is so light and transparent after a spring rain, when you breathe easily, and you look at the beauty with wide open eyes, without squinting, it’s great, it’s health. The brightened sky is reflected on the wet pavement and… the spirit of the city, which cannot be described in words… In modern times, the street has remained the street named after Ivan Vasilievich Panfilov, a famous military leader, Hero of the Soviet Union. In October 1938, Ivan Vasilyevich was appointed to the city of Frunze to the post of military commissar of the Kirghiz SSR. Perhaps he lived on this street, which used to be called Sadovaya. In 1941, under his leadership, the 316th Rifle Division was formed. Recruited from residents of Almaty, Almaty region and Frunze. On October 10, 1941, the 316th division entered into battle with enemy troops and was able to inflict significant damage on it.

XXII Syezd (Congress) street. Oil on canvas, 110×119.5, 1971.

Frunze urban landscape of the 70s. Recognizable crossroads, Chui-Tynystanov a, and the view from the workshop, most likely from the second floor of the “Artist’s House”. Nothing changed. The names have changed frequently. In 1924, Kupecheskaya Street was renamed Grazhdanskaya, in 1936 – Stalin Street, and in 1961 – XXII Party Congress Street. Already after the creation of the picture, in 1974, it became Leninsky Prospekt. After the formation of the Kyrgyz Republic, Chui Avenue appeared. Tynystanov Street used to be called Krasnooktyabrskaya…. Autumn, the leaves on the trees turned yellow and reddened a little, and filled most of the picture. Trees dominate in color, shape and size. Actually, the street itself is visible only in the gaps between the brown trunks. The alley along the Ministry of Economy is clearly visible. People are walking along it. It has rained, and the wet asphalt reflects the sky, trunks and leaves. Closer to the building is a parking lot with four cars. Now there are many more of them! Do not fit! They took up most of the alley! And the artist’s people are more significant than machines, larger. He deliberately made cars toy and specifically applied a reverse perspective. And the most important thing for an artist is trees. Now it’s the other way around: first cars, then people, and only then trees…. In such works, artists “write” the history of the city. The history of buildings, streets, trees and people. The history of the spirit of the city, its moods and preferences.

Autumn steppe. Oil on cardboard, 40.6×68.3, 1971.

Autumn steppe. Steppe in autumn. The work is named literally: as the artist wrote by hand on the back of the cardboard, so it is named. The master of contrasts and dissonances appears in this work as a singer of the finest nuances! Autumn steppe in shades of ocher. The sky is overcast with gray clouds: the bleached ocher is given off by a distant echo of violet. Low hills, a lonely haystack are visible. Shrubs add red and brown ocher. There are small strips of earth, yellow and green. And that’s all! Why is such a pale landscape, monotonous, monotonous in color, so interesting? It’s all about the shape of the spots! Bizarre shapes are stretched into horizontal rhythms. From above, the shady slopes of the mountains playfully dance. In the middle, a haystack dominates, trees sing along with it. Each spot is meaningful, they are exactly what they should be. Written accurately, neatly and beautifully. Vertical strokes lined up closer to the viewer. They lean in different directions, as if performing rhythmic movements, as if dancing! Maybe? Does the name literally mean autumn steppe? That is dance? Tap dancing? … But this is hardly …. And yet, the words “rhythm” and “dance” accurately define the merits of this composition. The artist coped with the most difficult task: he made the nuance temperamental!

Etude. The mountains. Oil on cardboard, 34.2×49.7, 1979.

The author achieved what he wanted and stopped. Further detailing will not improve the work – it will only worsen it. The freshness of the impression, the purity of the color, the original sound will disappear. And why do they appear? From a combination of warm and cold shades? White inclusions? From the texture of strokes? Trembling in the wind, like life itself …. Frosty blue peeps between warm clouds. Snow on the peaks. Illuminated slopes – shades of ocher and green; shadows are blue and blue. Closer to us, the shadows turn black, the slopes brighten, orange is added. The artist caught the air. This is impressionism! But somewhat different: there is less artistry in brush movements, the strokes are wide, harsh, brutal. This is ours and others, great and toy, inspires us … and leaves us indifferent. Difficult feelings! Maybe it’s because we have a view from the plane? Most likely. And this is a new topic for painting! Non-standard artistic research and unexpected conclusions. In such a small study – fleetingly about the eternal. The small texture hints at the scale, we see the universal expanses and are no longer afraid. We are above them, we look down, and we are safe, in a comfortable supersonic liner. We fly past eternity.

Tone. Oil on canvas, 75×99. The year of creation is unknown.

The year of creation of the work is unknown, but most likely; this is one of the earliest works of the master. The artist develops, his style, manner changes, this is understandable and natural, and it was and will be so. Many artists of the period of developed socialism worked simultaneously in several formal concepts; moreover, they could be different within the same work. This is normal, this is a creative search and … already postmodernism…. At one time, the well-known art critic Olga Popova, the author of the formal concept, subtly remarked: “In the work of Sabitjan Bakashev, Sagyn Ishenov, Melis Akynbekov, Satar Aitiev, Murat Bekdjanov, a departure from the traditional method of working on paintings is noticeable. As a rule, they create thematic paintings without natural material based on imagination, historical or folklore sources. In this regard, the visual language of this group of artists has changed – it has become more conventional and decorative. Now we will say more simply – postmodern. Peculiar and unique Kyrgyz variation…. The design of the lines, their plasticity have not changed, but the manner is completely different! Mountains and valleys are a monotonous outline of planes for painting in one tone and color. In such manner, the lines look hard, sometimes rough and unaesthetic…. On the contrary, the houses of the village, buildings, haystacks, greenery are made finely and vividly. Transparent shades indicate the people of the car walking along the road. You can see a figure on a horse, sheep are grazing. A subtle play of nuanced transitions and whimsical strokes. It’s aesthetic… Perhaps this is the main feature of the picture! Rigidly drawn mountains, and in contrast, live field observations in a human village? It seems that the master tells us that he can work in any style, build any composition, breaking any boundaries. It becomes an end in itself, it becomes an apology for a formal concept!

Koi-Tash. Oil on canvas, 44.5×69.7, 1986.

The ridges rise from the foothills and bifurcate at a height. Like the wings of a bird. One wing goes to the right, beyond the edge of the picture. The second – to the left, turning into distant snowy peaks. Moreover, the foothills, and the ridges, and the snowy peaks, and even the sky, are deliberately made with large textured strokes, a brush and a palette knife. Moreover, it is strange: we see where it is closer and where it is farther, we physically feel all the turns. The author managed to show us the structure. We understand the geodesy of the area. We see a spatial design – the mountains are like wings, growing in different directions. Small details are inscribed in this extended space: poplars, bushes, a road, a river floodplain. It seems that people are walking along the road, or maybe this is a bush growing. This is how an architect depicts people in a project when he wants to show the customer the real scale. In this case, images have no other meaning. In general, the artist works as an architect, the general masses are important to him. “Small architectural forms” he neglects. “Design” is not involved. After all, a painting, sketch, landscape is, first, space, and not polished details for an illiterate buyer. And masterful expression conveys the essence of reality better! In addition, perhaps … beauty … space. The master worked near the village of Koi-Tash in the Chui region. The village has recently been overgrown with scandals, but this has nothing to do with the picture.

Konur-Olon. Oil on canvas, 110×169.5, 1981.

Mountains are torn upward by steep slopes, freezing with ridges that have gained a dangerous height: they can capsize at any moment. This is shown by bold oblique strokes, rising sharply and falling vertically. Part of the breed, frightened, carefully slides down; advances in gentle hills, and already at the bottom there are sloping clearings. Contrasts of tone and color create a hard, rocky texture. Even the trees and shrubs seem to be made of stone. The lines are whimsical, multidirectional, and as a result dutifully fit into the horizontal lines. Therefore, according to the painter, gorges are formed, and the lowlands, processed by man, turn into a road. People ride along the road, on horseback, in cars, go to the valley, at the bottom of which there is a lake. A wonderful view, unusual, from the side of the mountains to the valley below. Usually write the other way around. Two triangles of mountains at the edges – activity and contrasts. The triangle of the valley in the middle is calm. Heavenly strokes march across the back. The nuances depict heavenly pleasures near the water. Moreover, the road has come to the fore! The road has become the center of the composition… and the universe! Not mountains, valleys, lakes. Not the sky! The main thing is the road! This is what the human eye did. The human eye highlighted the letter “S”. He is looking for a dollar and does not find it … KOҢUR-ӨLӨҢ is a village in the Ton district of the Issyk-Kul region. In its vicinity, in the gorge, the artist stopped, admired, and with his talent immortalized the majestic nature, the road, the riders, the car and … himself.

In the mountains. Oil on canvas, 130.3×149.1, 1980.

Fields, mountains, peaks. Poplars along the road. Next was the village. Yellowed trees are interspersed with still green ones. Morning, the yellow tractor began autumn plowing. Cirrus clouds dissolve in the blue sky…. When listing the elements, it seems that we have before us a typical mountain landscape, but not everything is so simple… The well-known art critic Olga Popova writes the following about the artist’s landscapes: (he) likes to depict nature, but it appears in a transformed, heavily decorated appearance, and the basis of the compositions is always a realistic, professionally made drawing, only slightly and tastefully stylized, but the color, arbitrarily conditional, bright and elegant, harmoniously built, despite the remoteness from the real color combinations and color saturation of wildlife. The artist simply ignores the boring light-air perspective, banishes the vulgar air haze from his works. He is sure that the colors “taken head-on” (a great sin in academic painting) more fully convey the beauty of the blue sky, motley mountains, and striped fields. In addition, the lines must sing! … The lines of the curved plateau begin to wave, rise, hit hill against hill, and calm down, reaching the serenity of peaked peaks. At the top, they are supported by energetic oblique strokes of steep slopes… Besides, the artist could not do without riddles (h so that art critics do not think life is sugar). What are people doing at the edge of the field? Did they come here in a yellow car? From the village? Celebrating the start of autumn fieldwork. It does not look like agitation is visible. They stand in a row, on their knees. Are they praying? Are they buried? Pray for a good harvest? Some kind of Angelus (Angelus Domini). Kolkhoz? Muslim! Ah! Religious theme in the country of socialist realism! Is that possible! … It seems to me that the artist innocently depicted unreliable people with their ghostly chores (no matter what) in order to convey the mountain scale! A monstrous disproportion. So that it immediately becomes clear: this is about eternity! However, this is transient. And it is about religion again! Ah!

Distribution of the newspaper “Erkin-Too” (Free Mountains). Canvas, oil, 80×140, 1977.

Mountains are sculpted with large strokes; small strokes – people, horses, yurts. Highland pasture meadows are indicated by wavy lines. Everything is shown in a generalized, simple and clear way. On the left, boys run in with newspapers; in the center, jailoo (summer pasture) residents discuss the latest news; on the right, riders ride with information further. And the wind helps them spread white newspaper sheets on the ground. Greenery and earth, red mountains and blue clothes…. Very beautiful monumental … panel! A visible image of the dissemination of information…. The well-known art historian Olga Popova writes about the artists of the 70s as follows: “Almost all of them began with experiments in shaping at the same time as searching for their own themes, and the problems of form were initially placed by them above the problems of content. However, in their best works, they managed to overcome the narrowness of the formalistic concept, creating works that carry a strong intellectual and emotional charge precisely due to the complex figurative structure. … Work on the form develops into work on the content? What could be the content in the USSR? Only socialist! And it sounded something like this: information about the successes of socialist construction is spreading to the most remote corners of our vast country! … The Erkin Too newspaper has been published since 1924. It was renamed Kyzyl Kyrgyzstan (Red Kyrgyzstan), and in 1956 – Soviet Kyrgyzstan (Soviet Kyrgyzstan). Perhaps the picture was made for the anniversary of the elder of the mass media of the republic…. Now we see more, and the bright red mountains remind us of the flag of the Kyrgyz Republic! We see that the Soviet government did not interfere with the patriarchal way of life: men have their own circle, women have their own; Men mostly sit, women stand. No conflict of tradition with modernity! And the socialist content is just an excuse to make a beautiful composition. So what if it looks like a sketch for a decorative panel. From the picture breathes happiness and harmony. And the idea is that people under any power will enjoy life … and including the fact that information now reaches them faster..

Clover field. Oil on canvas, 118×149, 1986.

The artist rose above the clover field and took in the whole universe with his eyes. I saw the entire valley: fields, hills, a lake, mountains, and white clouds above the peaks, and a blue sky behind them. The morning sun colored the tops of the autumn poplars, the houses with yellow roofs. Somewhere in detail (combines are visible), and somewhere generalized (impressionism and abstractionism), and somewhere the image becomes a symbol, a sign. The perspective is broken several times: when you fly, all the rules lose their meaning. Of particular importance is the dynamics of the stroke: color, shape and direction of movement … This is not a salon work, not for sale, not by order. The shadows are too black, the clouds are dirty, and the lake is a blue stripe. Sloppy, hasty. Street artists can lick better. It is so now! Moreover, in the 80s, artists worked freely! And at the exhibitions, desperate courage was appreciated to the end! The state was supportive, and the museum bought, and connoisseurs admired. This is not a monumental painting. And you can’t call an easel painting. How to present it? Decorative abstraction? Picturesque protoplasm? What was in the beginning? Then, when these words still did not make sense? If so, then it is very serious and no name has yet been found for this. And will there be in the future? A special kind of painting flourished in the era of developed socialism. For a brief moment, everything was possible except criticism. And, in fact, painting itself develops and … flies away! Paradox! And another paradox: in the 80s, paintings began to be called composition…

Memory. Canvas, oil, 85×125, 1976.

A valley surrounded by a semicircle of mountains; a river flowing in the middle. Clouds are running and chasing everyone behind them. The whole rainbow set of colors and shades. Small strokes of various shapes, fragmentation and integrity! Complexity and simplicity! How is this possible? One thing is for sure – a certain surface (combinations of tone, color and shape) denotes a certain matter. Mountains are slanted strokes, valleys are horizontal, people are vertical. Kyrgyz pointillism! The artist does not seek to convey nature literally – he means. And he does it with talent, from imagination and living memories…. The guys are resting, stopped on the way. Huge bags nearby. Maybe they came from the city for the summer holidays ly? And now they will disperse to their native places? Or vice versa? They’re going to study! To the big world! Into a universe of exciting adventures and fantastic opportunities. The two are loudly discussing the prospects that are opening up, making huge plans. The third sits and sadly looks at his native places: what awaits them ahead?.. The fourth lies down and drinks water straight from the river! Either he just dips his face, or he doesn’t strain at all, enjoying life. He is an artist, looks into the reflection! Or the fourth dimension? It is more interesting and richer. He turned over and sees… the true world. With this technique, the artist easily turned our perception upside down, got rid of unnecessary pathos, and added paradox to a simple composition! Here is the main symbol of the picture: all the plans of the guys will turn upside down more than once…. Similar: complex, ambiguous, cheerful, mischievous compositions, the muralist made a significant contribution to the development of Kyrgyz easel art!

<= PART 7                                                                                   TO BE CONTINUED

We continue to acquaint site visitors with works from the collection of the State Museum named after Gapar Aitiev through the eyes of art historian Gamal Bokonbaev. This is the final review of Suimenkul Chokmorov’s works from the museum’s collection. We already announced the transition to reviews of works by other artists last time, but we will do this in the next publication of this series.

We believe that readers of reviews return to something they have already read or, conversely, move forward to the next one. Our reviews are not in chronological order as they are not progress reports.

By publishing these reviews, we want you to have new impressions after reading, perhaps an interest in what you have not paid attention to before, so that you fall in love with some works, and others give you food for new ideas, and also so that you were familiar with the art of our country. Maybe you use them in discussions with friends, and if you are a teacher, then with students.

If you want to share your fine art reviews, we are ready to consider them for publication on this site. We welcome reader comments.

Lilac bush. Oil on cardboard, 69.8×48.2, 1984-1985.

The lone lilac bush is worked out in detail, each leaf is drawn. Solid green grass in the background, apparently – the beginning of summer. The etude is built on shades of green, on combinations: dark – light, warm – cold, transparent – dense. Variety adds a brown picket fence. Still not enough flowers! White, purple, pink! Not enough lilac bloom! This is not a typical image – the lilac has faded! Or did it not bloom at all? Lifeless panicles remain: dark lilac, white-bluish shades of the same green are thinning out, and they take away some of the life-giving juices. There is not enough contrast, everything is in the nuances and the imagination runs into a dead end. And I want to talk about light! Joyful! Blooming! Festive! Made masterfully, magnificently and … too truthfully. Quite subtle realism is not lyricism. Just like in life. There would be a masterful fantasy, an individual interpretation … It doesn’t work about light – you can talk about dark. Modest, respectable, but barren. Colorless, in its own way beautiful, but it is not a pity. It stands alone and does not bring joy. Nobody. Waiting for the gardener to cut it down. He needs it, for wood, for the picket fence. And while the sun shines brightly, it turns green.

The mountains. Cardboard, tempera. 32.5×49.8. 1969.

Bird’s-eye view. The top is drawn by the contours of the peaks, and the horizon line runs after the roundness of the earth. On a narrow strip of sky dense rain clouds stretched out in a line and block the sun. Orange sunset lights up. And, perhaps, it is reddening earlier in the morning? And the sun hasn’t risen yet? The river meanders between mountain ranges, goes down and is divided in two under the bridge. Its path is crossed by a highway, it shines like a sharp saber and cuts the river into two unequal parts: before the bridge it is winding, after the bridge it is straightened. There are no settlements in sight. People have built their own road from one settlement to another and are not going to stop here. They are transit passengers for the mountains. And their construction – economical, soulless, direct – violates the beauty of nature. Roughly perpendicular to the winding lines of the mountain ranges. The artist fantasizes: the river becomes an arrow, and the road becomes a bow shaft… without a bowstring? The artist philosophizes – the path of the river to a person who has his own path; is harmony possible? No answer. The artist is trying to fit a non-natural object into nature. And he doesn’t succeed. The contrast is antagonistic. One subjugates the other. A person is inspired by nature, its power and greatness, and … remains a stranger to it … Only a narrow strip of the sky is transparently written. And the mountain ranges are dense. Justified. The sunset was made naturally burning and the road had to be made as tight as possible. On the edge. The artist understood the essence of what was being depicted, but the aesthetics of the work suffered … Still, this is a sunset. Travelers could not find themselves in such a beautiful place so early! magnificent! deserted for miles! place..

Tulip with a foal. Cardboard, oil. 40.7×42.5. 1983.

In the shade of trees near the feeder stands a mare with a foal. The white-bearded owner in a white cap and blue T-shirt brought them fresh clover. A clear summer day, the sun’s rays break through the green foliage and draw fantastic patterns on objects. In the distance, the sky and the river are blue, the hills and greenery are glowing. Breathe easily, coolness from the earth, warmth from the rays, the smell of grass and domestic animals. A kaleidoscope of light and dark, cold and warm, dense and transparent, multi-colored spots. They destroy the regularity of the form and turn the space into an entertaining game. But a mare with a foal is too similar to … life. To everyday reality. The horse’s muzzle is blocked by a tree and it’s just like that, it’s about nothing – it’s not a symbol. The poor foal generally “hit” the wrong angle. The artist simply depicted what he saw, and for some reason was sure that it was will be interesting to the viewer. Perhaps this is the most controversial painting by the master in the collection of the National Museum. The mare has an incomprehensible nickname: Tulip is masculine*. Perhaps it is possible with horses… She is a Tulip. Many draft horses are characterized by a somewhat elongated arched back, they are strong and hardy, but not suitable for riding. Yes, such details are more important for the peasant economy than some abstract spots. And even more important – koumiss!

*In Russian, this word has a masculine gender, but there are no genders in Kyrgyz

Late fall. Cardboard, oil. 20.8×30.7. 1957.

The earliest of the author’s works in the museum collection. He painted it when he was a student at the Frunze Art School. A small sketch made in the floodplain of the river. The morning sun gently illuminates yellowed trees, shrubs, grass. Dull ocher dominates. The brown slope of the valley darkens, the tops of the trees darken in the blue-gray sky. Light grass and stones ahead. Beautiful coloring, stylish and… monotonous. Water could add variety! It’s not a river, is it? Even if it is a river, it seems to be frozen in place. Most likely, after the flood, an anhydrous branch appeared in the floodplain. It would be quite sad if it were not for the accent – a lonely figure in a light hat with a red knapsack behind his shoulders. The black traveler creates tension. The mood of calm and serenity disappears. A man has crossed a waterless rocky bed and is moving on. What’s next? New meetings, promising acquaintances or bitter disappointments? The line of the traveler crosses the line of the phantom! This is not a good sign. Or maybe everything is much simpler? It would be nice if a person had a … bundle of brushwood behind his shoulders. Then everything is clear … but the red knapsack is annoying, and a sense of anxiety comes through in every line of this talented sketch.

SAMARKANDIAH (composition). Oil on cardboard, 44.8×39.8, 1970.

Blue domes of Samarkand! Arches, minarets, blank walls, small windows, narrow streets. The eye highlights decorative grilles that protect from the merciless sun: they resemble the diamond-shaped frame of a yurt. Ocher, cobalt and mars brown, transparency and density. And in the center of the composition is a dazzlingly white, deserted square. The play of forms excites the imagination. She imagines a beauty wrapped in silks, and in front of her, across the street, suitors rise diagonally. Guards the entrance to the grand palace in a magnificent collar; behind the fence, a warrior in wide robes is worried, a little more and he will draw his saber; a circus performer on stilts, ghostly as a minaret, gazes at them from a distance. And now the square was filled with characters, they almost covered it with their excited bodies. Buildings put on headdresses, opened multi-colored eyes. Samarkand! Where is the name from? Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin published a wonderful book “Samarkandia”, in St. Petersburg, in 1923. The name comes from there, but there is less orientalism and exoticism – more fantasy and theater. Where does the word “composition” come from in the title? As if it is necessary to specifically clarify that the picture is the composition. It was such a fashion! The fashion was spread by the studios of the Senezh Design Studio. Since then, it has become fashionable in the USSR to call picturesque paintings “composition”, and artists – “composers”. The main thing was formal exercises. Many fell for this bait: they confused the design with an easel painting, but the talent did not allow the author to drown in meaningless forms. He began to revive the composition! He boldly crossed the forbidden line, because design is pure abstraction, there are no mysterious beauties and lustful men.

Khartoum. Cardboard, tempera, 44.6×50, 1975.

Impressions from a creative trip to the capital of Sudan – Khartoum. The artist was inspired by unfamiliar architecture that does not exist according to Soviet laws. Spontaneous. Arabic, ancient, traditional, stylish. Such architecture seems to the author cozy, even a little theatrical. One-story housing: walls, fences, doors, windows, courtyards and narrow streets. Each item is unique, like a work of art! It is crowded here, there are problems with communications and clean air. But for the artist – it’s decoration. And where the structure is incomprehensible, beautiful abstract spots are used. It seems that it is more interesting to live in these bizarre forms. There are also modern buildings, they soullessly loom on the horizon. The master correctly caught the main, color and tone, correlations: a greenish-gray sky and golden buildings. The sun is in a haze, the lighting is soft, the horizon is dark from the clouds. Or maybe it’s water? The city is located at the confluence of the White and Blue Nile … It is written transparently, in one movement – this is so highly valued in watercolor and is valued in general. This is lightness, grace, skill. Khartoum is the hottest major city in the world. But the landscape exudes moisture and coolness. Perhaps the artist got on the only, not very hot day of the year. Artists of Soviet Kyrgyzstan did not pay attention to Soviet cities, they seemed im not romantic. And today, artists are not inspired by our construction boom, and … they are doing the right thing.

Twilight. Oil on cardboard, 25×38.3, 1978

The sun had just set, and the light was still lingering for a while. The air does not want to part with daytime cheerfulness. Earth and sky give away the accumulated energy and in every possible way delay the onset of night. They do not want the onset of darkness, since the sun has gone, let there always be … twilight! Everything has become tonally typical, not dark, not light, and not gray – transparent! Barely noticeable month. What is there to enjoy here? What to look into? Twilight is the time of the master! He loves subtle shades. He physically feels transparency, like watercolor water, when light radiates… cardboard… A woman with a child is standing near the yurt. Looking into the fields. Waiting for her husband from work. Or maybe darkness? Or maybe she was fascinated by the yellow-cold month. There is smoke, there is a hearth in the yurt, but it does not give heat. Cool colors all around. Trees bring some comfort. And the baby is cute. But this is not enough. Nearby stands a house on a high dark gray foundation. Empty house…. Stop moping! Now adults and men will return from the fields, bring warmth and news from the big world, turn on electricity, and everything will come to life.

The artist follows the archetype: a woman with a child is waiting for a man from work in the evening. It has always been so, from century to century. Now it looks like a pattern. Or maybe not…. The artist recently starred in the film “Ulan”. In the cinema, it was told about how the separation from traditions adversely affects a person. How difficult it is to keep roots in an asphalt city. A small sketch is written masterfully: through the texture of the cardboard, the mastery of the soul peeps through! There are two houses nearby, and a yurt looks more soulful and warmer.

Morning in the village. Canvas, oil. 33.7×64.3. 1985.

The procession marches into the fields, pastures. The cow walks in front, then the owner of the cow follows, then the women walk to harvest hay, they have pitchforks and a child next to them (probably the kindergarten has not yet been built – a flaw of the Soviet authorities). The donkey has been working since early morning, carrying a whole cart of hay (when did they manage to collect it?). A rider gallops at a trot. The usual summer-autumn landscape: mountains, poplars, haystacks, buildings. Simplicity, beauty and morning freshness. The artist glorifies the desire of ordinary people to just work. And how good it was! Everything is common, everything is national, everyone works together! And at the same time: everyone has time to deal with their personal household. No one interferes with anyone and does not envy. Everyone wishes each other happiness and kindness from the bottom of their hearts. Harmony, a sense of unity with grateful nature, a bright, conflict-free world, without illness and adversity. There are subtle life observations, but so far there are no exact natural characteristics. While this is an illustration where lightness is needed, the complexity of an easel painting is inappropriate. So far, this is theatricality: the peasants, as if on a mise-en-scene, rush to work and nothing else happens. This is a good start! And the author would further add complexity in meanings and concreteness in details. I would add a small dark corner for contrast. A promising study for creating on its basis a major thematic work in the style of socialist realism. But the author did not modify it. Other times come, other ideas come.

Red apricot. Oil on canvas, 60×44.5, 1986.

The artist’s attention was drawn to the plot: apricots and thistles. Both faded in the sun, but one turned red and beautiful, and the other a deathly yellow. The thistle dried up on the spot, and the apricots were transformed. This is a worthy answer to the scorching sun! Can painting tell about it? In an effort to convey his feelings, the artist takes risks and uses a strong technique – red brings to fury. Such color disharmony is perceived in abstract art, but not in realistic works. She looks like a waste of time here. Connoisseurs will say: “So red on blue? Where is the restraint of a professional? What about harmony? What about realism? And the light-air perspective? All right, but there are extenuating circumstances. There is a perspective. The thistle is ahead not due to color and tone, but due to the prickly shape. The development of space in depth stops the clay duval, the shadow of a tree “hits” on it. The plane of the shadow delimits the spaces – before and behind. But even behind the duval, the color does not calm down. And here the sun and dissonance dominate. This is what the artist wanted. This sequence – bushes, tree, wall, distant view – form a compositional perspective. The viewer does not notice this technique – he sees the space of meaning … The sun is scorching mercilessly. In one case it burns out; and in the other – hardens. Why is that? Unclear. Many will answer – the breed … Why did this story attract the author? Did he see his destiny in him? He boldly straightened up towards the dangerous sun and became furiously red and hardened by eternity.

<= PART 6                                                                                                     PART 8 =>

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