Recently, People's Artist of Turkmenistan Klychmurad Yarmamedov performed in the capital's Exhibition Center with a personal family exhibition together with his sons, impressing fine art lovers with his sculptures. 20 works by Klychmurad Yarmamedov are kept in the State Museum of Fine Arts of Turkmenistan, black granite sculpture "Turkmen Bride" - in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, "Majnun" - in the personal collection of Babasara Annamuradov. Ashgabat and other cities of our country are decorated with many works of the sculptor.

Today we met with Klychmurad Mamedovich to find out more about his work, his development as an artist, his worldview. The first question, as usual, what brought him to art?

- I grew up in the family of a journalist of a regional newspaper, due to the nature of my father's service, our family often moved from region to region. In 1957, I completed a seven-year course in Turkmenkala, Mary velayat. Dad laid out a newspaper in front of me with an announcement of the Turkmen State Art School named after. Shota Rustaveli on the recruitment of students for several specialties.

“You draw beautifully, maybe you should go to this school?” - he asked.

Of course, I was going to enter the painting department, but it so happened that I had to study at the sculpture department. However, I don't regret it at all.

Klychmurad Yarmamedov graduated from art school with honors, and as a promising sculptor, he was sent to the Moscow Art Institute. Surikov. Being far from the Motherland, the artist felt an irresistible desire to learn the history of Turkmenistan. At that time, Moscow was not in vain called the city of reading: few Muscovites entered the metro without a book. And Klychmurad Mamedovich was no exception. He made acquaintance with the sellers of a second-hand bookstore not far from the Surikov Institute, and each time, having received a scholarship, he went to where rare books on the history of the East were left for him. There was a passion for the era of the Parthian kingdom, the Seljukids. Historical facts, myths and legends about the heroes of ancient battles excited the artist's imagination and pencil sketches were born, which accumulated in a folder allocated for them.

At that time, the history of the East was hushed up, society faced other specific tasks - the construction of cities, the opening of new oil wells, record harvests in agriculture. Artists were required to sing the heroism of labor. And Klychmurad Yarmamedov, following his civic position, completely devoted his talent to recreating the Man of Labor in plaster, bronze, and stone. This is how the compositions “Builders of Bekdash”, “Student Construction Brigade”, “Pioneers of Oil”, “Gaurdak Worker”, “Knight of the Fields”, “Sulfatchik” and others appeared.

But times are changing, and what had been in the heart of the artist for many years began to come to life in sculptural images. A whole world of heroes from different historical eras appeared in the sculptures of Klychmurad Mamedovich. Among them are the sculpture "Seljuk" - a collective image of a Turkmen warrior with chased features, the wise Seljuk sultan "Melik Shah", "Queen of Tumaris" with a crown taken from the head of the defeated Cyrus II, "Rodogun", riding a horse into battle with an attacker enemy country. the founder of Sufism "Abu Said" from Manebab, "Togrulbek", who defeated Masud Ghaznevid in the battle of Dandanakan, the brave and invincible "J alaletdin".

The sculptor, whose sons were growing up, could not resist the biblical legend about the sacrifice of Abram, whom the angels did not allow to kill his son, and sculpted a magnificent composition. The Persian philosopher, mathematician and poet Omar Khayyam appeared before the audience as a handsome, cheerful and happy person.

In the author's collection of Yarmamedov, there are several sculptural versions of the citizen, poet and philosopher Makhtumkuli, the legendary and historical heroes Gerogly, Gorkut ata, Bayramkhan.

Klychmurad Yarmamedov was so imbued with the heroism of the East that he named one of his sons Seljuk, and his granddaughter - Rodoguna. The sculptor's workshop is a revival of the memory of the historical greatness of the Turkmen people. His high civic position is manifested in the works of the author.