ARTISTS FROM THE UMAROV FAMILY: PHILOSOPHY, CHARM AND INDIVIDUALITY

Children often follow in their parents’ footsteps and there are many family dynasties of artists. But the Umarovs are special. Probably, what sets them apart from others is their family tradition of working hard to achieve full creative potential.

Artist Rakhman and ceramic artist Dilbar met in the city of Tashkent. They were both preparing to graduate from A. Ostrovsky Tashkent Theater and Art Institute. Although they were students of different departments, they often met in workrooms, where they created their works for hours after classes. Creations by Rakhman and Dilbar were almost always the best at student art exhibitions. Dilbar’s graduation work “Wedding” really surprised her teachers and her fellow students. It consisted of 50 small ceramic figurines.

After graduating from the Institute, Rakhman and Dilbar got married. Rakhman Umarov was appointed principal at Turkmenabat Children’s Art School, and Dilbar worked as a teacher at Turkmenabat School of Arts No. 1. For the first time, Rakhman showed his painting “The Wheel of History” at the capital’s Expo Center. And all at once Ashgabat artists and art connoisseurs saw him as a master painter. Shortly after, Rakhman exhibited his new painting “Early Ripening Grapes” and did not disappoint art enthusiasts. But even these two works clearly show the distinctive style of the artist – a philosopher and romantic, who is able to see something touching and sacred in the ordinary.

When the next exhibition featured his painting “At Noon”, the number of those who admired his works began to grow. His paintings “Freedom” and “Tenderness” again and again vividly demonstrated the Turkmen artist’s outstanding talent. The paintings are completely different. “At Noon” celebrates the beauty of an oriental woman; “Freedom” portrays the flight of migratory birds that know no boundaries; “Tenderness” shows tender love a little girl feels for a horse – her best friend.

We are at Rakhman Umarov’s studio. Charming ceramic figurines by Dilbar Umarova are the first thing what we see. Her terra-cotta characters full of kindness, humor and great love for rural dwellers won the hearts of Ashgabat art lovers at the first exhibition.

On Rakhman’s easel is a new painting almost completed, which depicts jugs tied together. It has no title yet. The artist admits that the hardest thing for him is to give a name to his painting. This work tells us about friendship and unity and how important it is to strengthen the bond that links us with others and how dangerous it is to lose the bond, because this leads to falling into the depths of loneliness. There is a well-known parable, but Rakhman Umarov tells the story in his own way, using jugs as containers that have been an essential part of the Turkmen people’s daily life for centuries.

Rakhman and Dilbar have three children. Their son, Arslan, is a medical student at a university in China. He will be a sports medicine physician. Helping athletes to recover from injuries is a very noble profession.

Their girls, Khijran and Jeyran, obtained degrees from the State Academy of Arts. Khijran is an artist and Jeyran is a designer. Works by the sisters have been exhibited at all student art exhibitions in the Academy’s gallery, and even at the Museum of Fine Arts.

Their oldest daughter, Khijran, is an Impressionist artist although she attended the art school and was taught by her father, a Realist artist. And her father is not opposed to this. “As years go by, she will grow wiser and will come to realize that Realism is the major trend in art” he thinks rationally. When displayed at an exhibition that brought together works by the Umarov family, Khijran’s “On a Bus” really impressed viewers. The students in the painting are so lifelike that it seems that we could hear what they are joyfully talking about. Most likely, the girls have passed their exams and are returning to the hall of residence. Khijran managed to capture the mood of the moment.

Khijran’s individual style can also be seen in her landscapes. She does not seek to produce a true resemblance of trees. As a rule, her trees are mighty and massive with spring or autumn foliage that looks like a dense mass. Every landscape clearly conveys the artist’s mood.

Jeyran has mastered batik techniques to perfection. The art of batik originated in Indonesia and India. Her batik apples on fine silk with seeds showing through are particularly impressive. The phantasmagoric depiction lends a sense of curiosity, giving the impression that the apples on branches closely watch those around.

Today, Rakhman Umarov is a freelance artist and his wife Dilbar is the head of the Department of Scenery and Properties at the Seyitnazar Seydi Lebap Drama Theater. Khijran is a teacher at Turkmenabat Turkmen Teacher Training Institute, and Jeyran is a designer at the Lepab Velayat Department of Culture. Each of them has their own professional responsibilities that require great dedication. I would like to wish them inspiration, because art enthusiasts are looking forward to seeing new interesting works by this artistic family.

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