Abdulkhak Abdullayev
Uzbek portrait painter, People's Artist of the Uzbek SSR (1968) and winner of the Hamza State Prize, author of portraits of the actor Abror Hidoyatov and the writer Oybek.
- Occupation:
- Artist
- Born:
- December 30 1918(82 years old) ♑ — October 29, 2001
Biography
Abdulkhak Abdullayev was born on 30 December 1918 in the city of Turkestan (now in Kazakhstan). His inclination for drawing showed in childhood. In 1928 he entered a school near Tashkent where pupils were taught the basics of drawing alongside their other subjects. In 1931 he went to the art school in Samarkand and showed a copy he had made of an actor’s portrait; on the strength of it he was admitted without entrance examinations.
In Samarkand (1931–1936) his teachers were L. Bure, Z. Kovalevskaya and P. Benkov. His early works were landscapes and portraits: “By the Pond” (1932), “Summer” (1937), “Portrait of a Friend” (1937) and a self-portrait of 1937. From 1938 to 1941 he studied at the Moscow State Art Institute under V. Yefanov and A. Osmyorkin.
His solo exhibitions took place in Tashkent in 1940, 1946 and 1953. He became known chiefly as a portraitist: in 1946 he painted the actor Abror Hidoyatov as Othello, in 1949 portraits of the writer Oybek and of Nazarali Niyozov, and in 1960 of the writer Komil Yashin. He also made several self-portraits that convey mood and inner life, and painted landscapes and still lifes.
From 1950 to 1957 he taught at the art college in Tashkent, and from 1955 to 1957 at the Nizami Pedagogical Institute; he also wrote a number of articles on art. A trip to India in 1957 produced views of that country and portraits of its people, such as “Dawn at the Taj Mahal”. In the 1980s he worked on portraits of well-known figures of Uzbekistan and searched for an image of Navoi.
He was named Honoured Art Worker of the Uzbek SSR in 1950 and People’s Artist of the Uzbek SSR in 1968, received the Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1959) and the Order of the Badge of Honour (1976), and won the Hamza State Prize of the Uzbek SSR (1977). In 1997 he became an honorary member of the Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan, and in 1998 he was given the order “El-yurt hurmati” of independent Uzbekistan. His paintings are held in museums in Uzbekistan, Russia, Italy, India and elsewhere.
Abdullayev died in Tashkent on 29 October 2001 and was buried at the Chigatay Memorial Cemetery.
Education
- Samarkand Art SchoolCollege · Samarkand · 1931–1936 · Painter; teachers L. Bure, Z. Kovalevskaya, P. Benkov
- Moscow State Art Institute named after V. I. SurikovUniversity · 1938–1941 · Painter; teachers V. Yefanov, A. Osmyorkin
Career
- Benkov Republican Art CollegeTeacher · Tashkent · 1950–1957
- Academy of Arts of UzbekistanHonorary member · Tashkent · 1997–2001
- Nizami Tashkent State Pedagogical InstituteTeacher · Tashkent · 1955–1957
Awards
Order «El-yurt hurmati»1998 · Uzbekistan
People's Painter of the Uzbek SSR1968 · Uzbek SSR- Honoured Art Worker of the Uzbek SSR1950 · Uzbek SSR
Hamza State Prize of the Uzbek SSR1977 · Uzbek SSR
Order of the Red Banner of Labour1959 · USSR
Order of the Badge of Honour1976 · USSR
Medal «For Labour Distinction»1951 · USSR
Life path
- 1918Birth
Born in the city of Turkestan.
- 1931–1936Samarkand art school
Admitted without entrance examinations; studied under L. Bure, Z. Kovalevskaya and P. Benkov.
- 1938–1941Moscow State Art Institute
Studied under V. Yefanov and A. Osmyorkin.
- 1946“Abror Hidoyatov as Othello”
His first major finished portrait, painted after the discussion of his solo exhibition.
- 1950Honoured Art Worker of the Uzbek SSR
Received the title.
- 1950–1957Teaching at the art college
Taught at the art college in Tashkent, and in 1955–1957 also at the Nizami Pedagogical Institute.
- 1957Trip to India
Painted views of India and portraits of its people from the impressions of the journey.
- 1959Order of the Red Banner of Labour
Awarded the order.
- 1968People’s Artist of the Uzbek SSR
Received the honorary title.
- 1977Hamza State Prize
Became a laureate of the Hamza State Prize of the Uzbek SSR.
- 1997–1998Academy of Arts and “El-yurt hurmati”
Became an honorary member of the Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan (1997) and was awarded the order “El-yurt hurmati” (1998).
- 2001Death
Died in Tashkent and was buried at the Chigatay cemetery.
Works
- “By the Pond” (1932)Landscape
One of the painter’s early works.
- “Portrait of a Friend” (1937)Portrait
A youthful portrait painted between his studies in Samarkand and Moscow.
- “Abror Hidoyatov as Othello” (1946)Portrait
The actor in his stage role; the painter’s first major portrait.
- “Oybek” (1949)Portrait
Portrait of the writer; held by the Museum of Arts of Uzbekistan.
- “Nazarali Niyozov” (1949)Portrait
Portrait of a Hero of Socialist Labour; held by the Museum of the East in Moscow.
- “After the Rain” (1954)Landscape
One of the painter’s landscapes.
- “Dawn at the Taj Mahal” (1957)Landscape
A work that grew out of his impressions of the trip to India.
- “Niece Shahlo” (1959)Portrait
Held by the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.
- “Komil Yashin” (1960)Portrait
Portrait of the playwright; held by the Museum of Arts of Uzbekistan.
- “Self-portrait in a Kyrgyz Cap” (1980)Self-portrait
One of the painter’s later self-portraits.
