Lachin through eyes of national artist

By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijani artist Yusif Mirza has displayed his art works at Baku Museum Center.

The artist dedicated his art pieces to the first anniversary of Lachin's liberation from Armenian occupation.

Member of Azerbaijan Artists' Union Yusif Mirza is a native of Sadinlar village, Lachin region.

He graduated from the Graphics Arts Faculty at Azerbaijan State Pedagogical Institute, where he opened up as a talented artist thanks to his professor, People's Artist Nadir Abdurakhmanov.

The artist was also engaged in paintings, graphics and sculpture as well as teaching activities.

He went from a school teacher to a theater artist in his native Lachin region.

In 1987, Yusif Mirza moved to Baku, but a few years later he returned to Lachin to defend his homeland from the Armenian invaders.

The images of his native places, lost as a result of that war, his art works created in Baku and many others are stored in museums and private collections in Azerbaijan and abroad.

Beautiful landscapes of Lachin have always taken a special place in Yusif Mirza's art, especially his new exhibition.

The artist also designed a  commemorative breastplate in honor of the liberation of Lachin, established at the initiative of the Azerbaijani Diaspora in Ukraine.

The exhibition features 70 art pieces, including paintings, graphics and volumetric collages dedicated to Lachin.

Through his paintings, artist brilliantly showed Lachin's beautiful nature  in any season.

The image of Garagol Lake deserves special attention. The lake has witnessed some of the most important events in Karabakh history.

The paintings also showcases landscapes of quiet villages imbued with nostalgic feelings and the artist's memories of Sadinlar village.

"Evening in our village", "Spring in the mountains", "Village", "Autumn" are among such paintings.

In the "Nostalgia" series, fragments of the past life shine are reflected through colorful patterns on chests, kerosene lamps. This series includes a collage  "Memories" which showcases keys and locks.

"Myths is also close to the theme of nostalgia. At the exhibition you can see a work dedicated to Agoglan, a character of local legend, who founded an Albanian temple of the 5th-6th centuries on the banks of the Agoglan River.

The architectural monument was vandalized by the Armenian occupants.

A series "Silhouettes of War" are cold and sad, they breathe with loneliness and desolation. There are no scenes of battles, even the realism here is very conditional, but at the same time it is a clear reflection of the reality of the city devastated by the invaders.

The paintings show a  semi-ghostly collective appearance of Lachin. The arches between the columns are the facade of the Lachin Culture House, where the artist once worked. For Yusif Mirza, it has become for him a symbol of the recent era of occupation.

The exposition will run until December 15. The event is co-organized by the Baku Museum Center, the Culture Ministry and the Culture Committee of the Azerbaijani Parliament.

Media partners of the event are Azernews.az, Trend.az, Day.az, Milli.az.