People came from different parts of the world to stay, or even move to live, in the sunny and welcoming capital of Turkmenistan. Among the guests who found a second homeland on the Turkmen land was the Ukrainian artist Ivan Cherinko.

The painter who visited Ashgabat in 1933 fell in love with the bright palette of the city once and for all. He recalled his first days, spent on city streets: “Turkmenistan captivated me with its picturesqueness and beauty”.

And the artist transferred this charm to the original culture of the country, its nature and people to his paintings. Ivan Ivanovich paid special attention to historical and everyday composition, landscapes, as well as portrait painting. His brush belongs to a number of portraits of famous Turkmen citizens, including the National Artist of the country Alty Karliev, the order-bearer collective farmer Nurjemal Ersaryeva and others.

In the 30s, the fine arts in Turkmenistan only gained momentum. Having rallied around himself young painters, graduates and teachers of the "Shock School of the Arts of the East", Ivan Cherinko founded the "Union of Artists of Turkmenistan". And soon, together with the artist Sergei Beglyarov, he initiated the creation of the first art school named after Shota Rustaveli in Ashgabat, where he taught for four years.

Thoroughly approaching the creation of paintings, the artist studied the history and life of the Turkmen people, collected materials for his works throughout the country, and painted sketches. He always tried to reveal the character of a person through the embodiment of his inner world. Many of the artist's works are distinguished by the monumentality of the composition, the breadth of the handwriting and the original flavor.

Honored Art Worker of the Turkmen SSR Ivan Cherinko tragically died during a devastating earthquake. But the city, literally wiped off the face of the earth, in an instant turned into a mass grave, has forever preserved in its memory the names of people who have become part of the history of the state.

Reborn from the ruins, like a phoenix from the ashes, Ashgabat turned into a white marble capital. Today, in one of the largest museums in Central Asia - works by the artist of Ukrainian origin Ivan Cherinko are kept in the Museum of Fine Arts of Turkmenistan, who played an important role in the development of Turkmen painting.

Svetlana Chirtsova