Tahir Salahov is an artist of Azerbaijani origin. Since 1979, he is a member of the Presidium of the Academy of Arts of the Soviet Union. And in 1997, Tair Salakhov received the post of vice president at the Russian Academy of Arts. Do you want to learn more about the life path and work of this cultural figure? Welcome to this article.
early years
The future painter was born in the capital of Azerbaijan - the city of Baku - in 1928. The boy grew up in the family of an ordinary party worker Teymur and his wife named Sona. The talent of the young artist began to manifest itself at an early age. When his father returned from work, he organized among the domestic competition for the best portrait. It was then that Tair first met with a brush.
The Salahs lived and did not know grief until 1937. Then a terrible thing happened. The father of the family was arrested by the Soviet government. Teymur was accused as much as four articles and sentenced to capital punishment - execution. The order was executed in the same year, and the family lost the head of the family, and little Tahir lost his father. Restore a clean name came out only in 1956 during the Khrushchev thaw. Then Teymur Salakhov dropped all charges in connection with the lack of corpus delicti.
Now, Sona herself was supporting a family of five children. However, the problems were not limited to financial difficulties. In the eyes of other people, the Salakhov family became real enemies of the people. It is for this reason that children grew up in complete isolation from society.
Training
Tahir Salahov in 1950 graduated from the Azerbaijan Art College. The young man planned to graduate and enter the Institute of Painting, Architecture and Sculpture named after Ilya Efimovich Repin. However, even here the artist was disappointed. Because of the line "son of the enemy of the people" Tahir failed to enter the coveted university. However, in 1957, Salakhov still graduated from the Moscow State Academic Art Institute named after Vasily Ivanovich Surikov. Tahir was trained as a painter. Around this time, the first works that Tahir Salahov wrote were born. The artist’s paintings attracted both ordinary art lovers and true connoisseurs.
Further activities
In 1964, the artist became a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. During the years 1963-1974, Salahov Tair Teimurovich teaches at the Azerbaijan State Institute. And since 1975, the artist has been working at the Moscow State Art Institute named after V. I. Surkov. Since that time, Tahir has been actively involved in the cultural life of the country. Salakhov attends various art exhibitions, arranges personal exhibitions.
Tahir Salahov. Paintings
The first works of Tahir were paintings "Waves" and "Flyover". However, the first rays of fame brought Salakhov a canvas called "From the Watch." The artist painted this picture as a thesis at the Surikov Institute. However, the glory of the canvas went far beyond the walls of his native alma mater. What was so special about this canvas?
The painting “On Watch” depicts oilmen who work on Oil Rocks and return from the shift. Workers on shaky bridges return home after a hard shift. They relaxedly walk straight towards the mighty wind, which tears foam from the raging sea. In the figures of the oil industry, one can notice fatigue. However, despite the hard work, they are overwhelmed with strength and perseverance.
The painting was painted under the impression of a trip to Oil Rocks, which Salakhov Tair Teymurovich made in 1956. The journey made a great impression on the artist. It was for this reason that he decided to capture his emotions from the trip. The work is done in oil.
On the whole, the theme of Azerbaijani oil workers occupies an honorable place in Salakhov’s work. On this subject, Tahir painted many paintings. The most popular are Repairmen, Morning Train, Morning on the Caspian, Women of Absheron, Above the Caspian.
"To you, humanity!"
Perhaps one of the artist’s most famous works is a painting entitled "You, Humanity!" Tahir Salahov wrote it in 1961. At the moment, the canvas is stored in the National Museum of Art, which is located in Baku.
The history of writing the work is pretty entertaining. Tahir Salakhov decided to paint a picture according to the inner command of his own soul. However, the canvas was too large. For this reason, the artist was forced to leave his studio and work near the school. Tahir Salakhov submitted his work to the public in April 12, 1961. What is most interesting, on the same day it became known about the flight of Yuri Gagarin into space. It is for this reason that it can be considered that the canvas was “prophetic”.
According to the author, he painted a picture, being impressed by the conquest of space. In the palms of the heroes of the canvas, you can even notice something similar to the first satellites. Many critics called the picture formalist. Nevertheless, Salakhov still decided to send his work to the exhibition of the Union of Artists of the USSR. However, soon, in order to avoid scandal, the artist himself shot his picture. After that, the canvas was sent to Baku, where it is stored to this day.
Tahir Salahov. Exhibition
The artist quite often organizes exhibitions. The latter was held during January 22 - March 20, 2016 in the notorious Tretyakov Gallery. Most of Salakhov's works were present at the exhibition, starting from the 1950s and ending with the most modern paintings. By attending this event, one could see a panorama of all the pictorial art over the past half century.