Togroul Narimanbekov (1928-2013) (ТОГРУЛ НАРИМАНБЕКО) St.... Lot 27

Togroul Narimanbekov (1928-2013) (ТОГРУЛ НАРИМАНБЕКО) St. Basil's Cathedral (diptych) 1973 Oil on canvas signed and dated upper left in Cyrillic, mounted on board, countersigned and titled in Cyrillic on the back. 170 x 184 cm Provenance: > Union of Artists of the USSR, label on back. > Художественный салон по экспорту ХФ СССР (art salon for the export of the artistic philosophy of the USSR) label on back > Galerie de France, label on back Condition report: framed Togrul Narimanbekov, Azerbaijani painter and singer, was born in Baku. He is the first artist from his country to appear in France's encyclopedia of contemporary art. His artistic career is steeped in exceptional cultural diversity. Trained at the Azimzade School of Art in Baku, Narimanbekov continued his studies at the Fine Arts Academy in Vilnius. In the 1960s, he introduced innovative art forms to Azerbaijan, breaking with the canons of fine art imposed by Soviet ideology. His approach and style, totally at odds with the aesthetic criteria of socialist realism, laid the foundations for the Absheron school of painting. Alongside Ashraf Murad, Javad Mirjavadov, Tofig Javadov, Rasim Babayev, Kamal Akhmedov and Gennady Brijatyuk, he contributed to the emergence of a new art that flourished after the fall of the Soviet Union. Togrul Narimanbekov's work is characterized by a singular fusion of Azeri and European artistic traditions, combining abstract and figurative elements. Traditional ornamental motifs merge into swirling, brightly-colored compositions that evoke the traditions of Azerbaijani art. His impasto paintings are often imbued with a surreal dimension, oscillating between joyful and melancholy emotions, dancing and singing. Narimanbekov was named People's Artist of Azerbaijan in 1967 and received the USSR State Prize in 1980. He ended his life between Paris and Baku, passing away in the City of Light in 2013. The work presented here honors the Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed, a 16th-century masterpiece emblematic of traditional Russian architecture. Located on Moscow's Red Square, this monument is famous for its colorful curves, whose shape and palette recall Togrul's swirling compositions and vivid colors. (MLD)