including monographs of “Usto Kodyrdjon Haidarov”,
“Joldasbeg Kuttymuratov”, “Alexander Volkov”,
“N. V. Kashin (Life and art)”, “Farukh Kagarov”,
“Michael Kurzin”, “Contemporary graphics of
Uzbekistan”, “Fine arts of Uzbekistan”,
“Art critical etudes”, etc. Rafail Hadievich
Taktash is also known as a talented
artist and original poet. We congratulate dear
Rafail Hadievich Taktash and offer
to our readers his article
“About me and art” that
is finished by his verses.
My teachers in Uzbekistan were Peter Maximovich Nikiforov, Alexander Nikolaevich Volkov and Ural Tansykbaev. Nikiforov gave skills in water color to me; Volkov taught to active and keen sense of color and forms; Tansykbaev inspired to be sure of success.
At Faculty of Painting of Moscow Art Institute by Surikov, I studied at studio of Professor P. D. Pokarjevsky. The experienced artist of battle scenes and perfect teacher taught his students to achieve high quality of painting and drawing and improve it permanently. In that period, realistic and naturalistic directions dominated in former Soviet Union. State Tretyakovsky Gallery and such giants of Russian painting, as Alexander Ivanov, Ilya Repin, Vasily Surikov, Michael Vrubel and Valentine Serov became a great school for me.
After Moscow Art Institute, I have studied for four years at Faculty of Art Criticism in Leningrad. In this great city with its famous museums I was finally convinced that study of the nature and life, i.e. realism, is the most reliable and fruitful way for any serious artist. I followed this direction all my life and I do not regret about it.
The famous artist, honorary figure of arts of Uzbekistan V. Rojdestvensky told: “When an artist draws from nature, he if as saves money in the bank and when he draws without nature, he as if spends money”. I always tried to approach spirit and methods of great masters from our republic and other countries. In fact, just a few artists of the 20th century could reach skills of geniuses of European and Oriental Renaissance… I know that one of the most favorite artists of Chinghiz Ahmarov was Dutch Vermeer van Delft. Chinghiz-aka studied not only miniatures of Herat school, but also highly estimated works of Alexander Ivanov including his famous picture “Christophany” and works of famous Russian artist Valentine Serov.
Great Mexican artist David Siqueiros wrote: “Two monsters endanger the art. They are -an artist who is not a master and a master who is lack of artistic imagination”. It is true! We could see many such masters at our exhibitions which are lack of imagination and feeling of poetry which could be developed by studying lives and works of great artists and poets… Many miniaturists simply copy miniatures of the past. They often forget that only direct contact with the nature and life is able to revive the ancient art of miniature. Chinghiz Ahmarov, Telman Muhamedov and Sh. Muhamadjanov have become true artists thanks to permanent study of modern environment, at the same time, keeping general canons of oriental miniature. “Installation” as a new direction of design came from the West. However, just some of our artists, for example G. Usmanov, succeeded to bring the spirit of Uzbek nation into it.
Decorative and applied arts are a great source of inspiration, taste and skills for our artists and usto – masters of applied art. At the same time, superficial imitation of this art is fruitless. Harmony of color and form, absolute proportions can enrich skills of our artists and sculptors. I think that I have not reach tops of artistic skills since my creative energy was dispersed in several directions. At the same time, I am happy that was devoted to art which makes a sense of my life.
Poets could hardly reach thirty years,
And butchers – ninety,
Blood of the first is flowing from wounds,
And of the second – from under the hands.
The autumn is singing in heart and blazing
by colors of sadness,
How to dissipate it unless to have a fun!
Lonely flower in the vase, its weak head
ropped,
He is somebody’s brother in sorrow …
Evening is sparkling as emerald
On heat and dry ground.
Golden array of carnelians
Are floating onto walls from streets and
fields.
We learned Rafael from the childhood
And Picasso’s “Guernica” was our world.
Spiritual heavens strongly attract us.
Small everyday worries block our way
upward.
Rafail Taktash