In 1935, a 14-year-old young man Niyazmurad Dovodov crossed the threshold of the Turkmen Art College - he had a dream to learn how to play the piano. The huge shiny instrument mesmerized him with its black and white keys, which emitted melodic sounds. Bearing in mind the enviable efficiency of Niyazmurad Dovodov, he probably would have made an excellent musician, but life decided otherwise. At the technical school, he met the artist Sergei Beglyarov, a pupil of the Shock School of the Arts of the East, and, having become acquainted with his works, he literally "fell ill" with painting. 

It seemed to Niyazmurad Dovodov that he lacked enough knowledge and really wanted to continue his artistic education. He graduated from an art school, and collected documents for admission to the Kharkov Art Institute, but then the war broke out, and instead of what he had planned, the artist went to the front. In 1944, demobilized due to a serious injury, he entered the Leningrad Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture named. I.E. Repin (now the Academy). However, the humid cold climate of the city on the Neva had a negative effect on the injury, and for health reasons he had to abandon the prestigious university.

This year, Honored Art Worker of Turkmenistan Niyazmurad Dovodov would have celebrated his 101st birthday. The Museum of Fine Arts celebrated the artist's centenary with a solo exhibition. Traditionally, it opened with a self-portrait, in which Niyazmurad Dovodov's eyes are carefully looking at visitors through glasses, as if he is now professionally choosing for himself a new model for the picture.

The exposition of the exhibition gave an idea of all the work of Niyazmurad Dovodov, thanks to whom he became an outstanding artist of his time. His heroes are people of labor, whose profession he put in the first place when revealing the image. Perhaps the only exception to this rule was the portrait of Aisoltan Palvanova.  Wearing a dress made in the European style, the young woman was remembered for her graceful national bracelet - a detail that dominated the picture. Thus, the exhibition is a portrait gallery of artists, students, musicians, jewelers, medical workers, military personnel, and rural workers.

In addition to portraits, the exhibition also features a very famous still life - "A Gift to a Veteran". This still life has become a truly iconic work in the Museum of Fine Arts, which, as a rule, opens exhibitions devoted to military topics.

Another painting that "migrated" from the permanent exhibition of the museum to a solo exhibition is "The First Furrow". The theme of the picture goes back in time to the beginning of the last century: for the first time, on a tractor brought from the city, farmers started digging up a field. Both "A Gift to a Veteran" and "First Furrow" are made with a combination of colors that help the work to become unforgettable.

Tamara Glazunova

Photo: Yuri Shkurin