Javad Mirjavadov
Javad Mirjavadov was an Azerbaijani painter. He was honored as a Distinguished Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR in 1988. After the artist's death, numerous solo exhibitions of his work were held in various foreign countries. His works are kept in the Azerbaijan National Art Museum, the Azerbaijan State Art Gallery, the Moscow Museum of Eastern Peoples, as well as in many private galleries and collections. Currently, 17 of Javad Mirjavadov's works are preserved in the collection of the Azerbaijan State Art Gallery.
In the annotation of his solo exhibition held in 1989 at the Museum of Eastern Peoples in Moscow, Javad Mirjavadov was referred to as the founder of modern Azerbaijani painting.
Life
Javad Mirjavadov was born on January 19, 1923, in Baku. He spent his childhood in the Fatmayi village of Baku. In 1938, at the age of 15, he started working as a poster artist at the "Azerbaijan" cinema, under the guidance of the painter Zarubin. Mirjavadov was responsible for all the cinema's poster works. After working there for a year, he was arrested for being late for work and spent 6 months in detention at the Bayil prison.From 1941 to 1949, Mirjavadov received his initial art education at an art school in Baku. During his school years, he became acquainted with a book containing the works of Paul Cézanne, and after completing his education there in 1949, he traveled to Leningrad with the goal of seeing Cézanne's works at the Hermitage Museum. He lived in Leningrad from 1949 to 1954, where he worked as a restorer at the State Hermitage Museum. His purpose was to become familiar with the paintings exhibited at the Hermitage. For this purpose, the artist worked there for 5 years. Additionally, the young artist frequently traveled to Moscow and had the opportunity to meet some of the prominent Soviet painters who were followers of Cézanne. One of these artists was Pyotr Petrovich Konchalovsky, who laid the foundation for the " Bubnoviy Valet" artistic group and the literary union.
In 1954, after returning to Baku from Leningrad, Mirjavadov began to experiment with unconventional materials for representational art for the next 10 years. He used materials such as metal, stone, sand, bitumen, tar, and cement. Later, along with his friends, the artist spent some time in Gobustan engaging in creative activities. After living in Buzovna in isolation for 10 years, Mirjavadov returned to Baku in 1966.
He married Lyubov Mirjavadova, and they had a son named Xazri from this marriage.
Javad Mirjavadov was an admirer of Gabriel García Márquez. "One Hundred Years of Solitude" and "Chronicle of a Death Foretold" were books he repeatedly read. His life partner speaks about his fondness for García Márquez in her memories.
In 1992, he died while on a journey aboard the Copenhagen-Moscow train.
Javad Mirjavadov was the brother of the artist Tofiq Mirjavadov.
Creativity
Javad Mirjavadov is recognized by many as founder of the contemporary direction in Azerbaijani painting. He is one of the most prominent innovators in the Azerbaijani art school. Javad Mirjavadov's earliest work in the realm of painting is recorded in the year 1967, and it is titled "Yırtıcı". In this work, we see a sheep with its legs wrapped, lying on its back, and nearby, there is a creature, laughing non-human with a baglike body. In this piece, the allegorical approach the artist takes toward society and its surrounding environment becomes evident.The decision by the artist to return from Buzovna to Baku is considered the beginning of a new phase in his painting. Despite the relatively small number of works he created in Buzovna, they hold an important place in Mirjavadov's oeuvre. These works were primarily graphic illustrations drawn on paper. Some were done with intricate pens, while others were executed with black ink. The Kyrgyz writer Chinghiz Aitmatov had the following to say about Mirjavadov's graphic works:
Javad Mirjavadov's engagement in the field of sculpture art during those years is evident in the "volumetric-plastic" analysis of objects in his painting works. Some examples of his graphic works include "Mavi kompozisiya" from 1957, "Mistik" from 1960, "Heykəltəraşlıq üçün eskiz" from 1958, "Notr-Dam" from 1958, "Texno Erotik" from 1958,"Yük atı" from 1959, "Fizioloji niyyət" from 1959, and "Bədənin quruluşu" from 1960.
Mirjavadov's entirely intuitive and instinctive creation of "absurd images" forms a completeness within his own value system. His depictions primarily resemble grotesque, mythological figures, but in contrast to traditional mythology, the artist gave them meaning that suited his own world. He portrayed the "grotesque" figures as both benevolent and ruthless, courageous, and sometimes fearful. The artist combined all the base and shameful aspects that could exist in a person, remaining true to his personal understanding while creating his works.
When the compositions created with the "grotesque" figure are examined from various angles, they appear to be portraying indecency, games, and frivolities. Javad portrayed these powerful "grotesques" as animalistic figures, often resembling beasts. Works such as "Divlərin hiylələri" from 1980, "Arena" from 1981, "Ehtiras" from 1983, "Ölümlə dialoq" from 1976, and "Qasırğa" from 1984 fall under this category.
Another recurring figure in C. Mirjavadov's creativity is the woman. In these depictions, the woman is portrayed as benevolent, patient, beautiful, intelligent, and sensitive. His works such as "Toy" from 1973, "Şaman-Qadın" from 1983, "Sakitlik və sərinlikdə" from 1984, "Çılpaq qadın" from 1984, "İris ilə qız" from 1986, "Uzanan qadın" from 1987, "Ümid işığı" from 1982, and many other works portray various aspects of the woman's character.
In some of his works, Javad Mirjavadov has skillfully used the same schema and colors to present the narrative of a particular event or aspect of life each time, following the content. For example, his works "Şubanada" from 1984 and "Naxır" from 1986, along with compositions like " Dəvə üstündə", are examples of these narrative works.
Javad Mirjavadov also created works where he spent several years developing them. In his work titled "Müxtəlifliyin vahidlik panoramı" from 1985 to 1987, the artist aimed to highlight the common problems and flaws of humanity, using as examples the faces of various ethnic groups and tribes. This work is part of a series that includes "Əsrin himni" and "Şərq miniatürü mövzusunda improvizasiya". The series of works within "Şərq miniatürü mövzusunda improvizasiya" include "Atlılar" from 1984, "Lüt-üryan" from 1984, "Günəşli atlı" from 1984, "Sarayda" from 1985, as well as "Gəzinti" from 1981 and "Uşaq arabası" from 1985, all created in this style.
Two works hold a special place in the artist's oeuvre: "Məxfi gecə" from 1982 and "Ümid işığı" from 1982.
Renowned Soviet art historian, author of numerous works on Russian and European art history, M.V. Alpatov, wrote about Mirjavadov:
Exhibitions
In 1975, Javad Mirjavadov was accepted as a member of the Soviet Union Artists' Union. However, Soviet art institutions declared him persona non grata and this situation remained unchanged in the subsequent years. Mirjavadov occasionally attempted to exhibit his work in state institutions such as the Ministry of Culture and the Azerbaijan Communist Party Central Committee, and even initiated efforts to organize solo exhibitions within the Artists' Union, but he received rejection each time.In 1987, the first exhibition of the artist was held at the Vajiha Samadova Gallery. The next exhibition took place in Moscow. In 1991, he had a solo exhibition in Copenhagen. In the annotation of his solo exhibition in 1989 at the Museum of the Peoples of the East in Moscow, Javad Mirjavadov was referred to as the pioneer of contemporary Azerbaijani painting.
In 1999, during an exhibition of Javad's works in the "Hyörning" museum in Denmark, Dr. Teddy Brunies, a professor of philosophy, wrote an article titled "The Shaman of Contemporary Art" in which he described the artist:
During the exhibition's opening, Torben Tutusen, the artistic director of the "Hyörning" museum, stated:
After the artist's death, numerous individual exhibitions have been organized in many foreign countries. His works are kept in the National Art Museum of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijan State Art Gallery, the Moscow Museum of Oriental Art, as well as in many private galleries and collections
In 2013, one of Javad Mirjavadov's works, titled "Journey to Mecca," from the series "Eastern Miniature Improvisation," was auctioned at the famous "Sotheby's" auction house. The value of the artwork was determined to be between 80,000 and 112,000 US dollars. This piece dates back to the years 1985-86 and was selected from a Scandinavian collector's private collection.
Additionally, in 2013, with the organization of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, a 90th-anniversary exhibition of the artist was held at the National Art Museum of Azerbaijan. Currently, 17 of Javad Mirjavadov's works are preserved in the collection of the Azerbaijan State Art Gallery.