Sattar Bahlulzade

A street in the Surakhani district of Baku is named after Bahlulzade. A house of culture in his native village, Amirjan, is also named after him. The life and work of Bahlulzade have been the subject of many documentaries, paintings, poems, and sculptures. On the artist's 100th anniversary (December 15, 2009), Azermarka issued a new series of postmarks titled Azerbaijani School of Fine Arts: Artist S. Bahlulzade. The series includes 6 stamps depicting Bahlulzade's paintings.

Bahlulzade's works have been shown at exhibitions of Soviet fine art in Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Tunisia, Norway, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Iraq, Cuba, Canada, Belgium, France, Japan, and other countries. The majority of the artist's paintings are stored in the National Art Museum of Azerbaijan, as well as museums in Moscow, Tbilisi, Yerevan, Beijing, and other cities around the world. In the National Art Museum of Azerbaijan, Bahlulzade's works are displayed in a separate room, which President Heydar Aliyev visited in 1994 to celebrate the 85th anniversary of Bahlulzade.

Sattar Bahlulzade died in Moscow on October 14, 1974. The artist was buried on October 16, not in the Alley of Honor in Baku as expected, but, at his own request, in his native village Amirjan, next to the grave of his mother. A monument was erected over Bahlulzade's grave by sculptor Omar Eldarov, depicting an artist with two empty picture frames.

A year before Bahlulzade's death, in 1973, a solo exhibition of the artist was published in Moscow. The Moscow press, covering this event, wrote: "The People's Artist of Azerbaijan Sattar Bahlulzade was only truly appreciated by a wider Russian audience after his personal exhibition in Moscow. I also fell in love with his work at first sight. The exhibition was simply stunning. It was a feast of colors and light in all their pristine clarity and poignancy. We simply did not know of such a beautiful and radiant Azerbaijan before Sattar Bahlulzade."

In 1973, Bahlulzade became seriously ill due to blood poisoning. Although the artist was being treated in Sabunchu hospital in Baku, his condition was not getting better. The chief doctor of the hospital told him that the only way for him to recover was to continue his treatment in the Moscow. However, officials refused to pay for the artist's trip to Moscow, and so the trip was organized by his friends.

Among Bahlulzade's best-known works are Tears of Kapaz (1965), Bank of the Gudiyalchay (1953), Dream of the Land (1961), Evening Above the Caspian Sea (1959), and Goygol (1964). His works have been featured in exhibitions in Azerbaijan, the Soviet Union, and other parts of the world. The majority of Bahlulzade's body of work is preserved in the National Art Museum of Azerbaijan, where a special hall is dedicated to the artist. Some of his paintings are also kept in museums in Moscow, Tbilisi, Beijing, etc.

In 1964, the works of Bahlulzade were exhibited in the National Gallery in Prague. After the exhibition, five of the paintings were selected to be bought for the Museum's collection. Nonetheless, Sattar refused the fee, offering the paintings to the gallery as a gift. These stories tell us about his lack of care for material possessions like money. He even smoked the cheapest brands of cigarettes.

Bahlulzade's awards and titles include Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1959), Honored Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR (1960), and People's Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR (1963). In 1969, Sattar was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour for the second time. In 1972, Sattar Bahlulzade was awarded the State Prize of the Azerbaijan SSR for his series of works denoted Landscapes of Azerbaijan.

Sattar Bahlulzade developed his work on both natural and industrial landscapes simultaneously. This was not without a reason. The painter could feel better than anyone the poetry of oil drills, which had been a feature of his childhood. In 1954 he visited the Oil Rocks offshore drilling complex, which was dubbed Island of Miracles at the time. He immediately became fascinated by the Island of Miracles. Sattar drew dozens of sketches there. He returned to Baku full of impressions and ideas about future oil industry landscapes. This led to a number of paintings, including Spring Morning in Baku (1959), Evening Above the Caspian Sea (1959), and Morning (1961).

After his return to Baku, Bahlulzade's work focused on the depictions of historic personalities and events. in 1941, he became a member of the Artists' Union of the USSR. In the post-war years, Bahlulzade painted works depicting the oil fields, dachas, and villages of the Absheron Peninsula. Bahlulzade's attraction to depictions of nature grew, and he started to paint more landscape sceneries.

Starting from the late 1940s, Bahlulzade started to create his most renowned works of art: The Bank of Qudyalchay, The Road to Gizbanovsha (1953), Golden Evenings (1955), Native Lands (1957), etc. In these landscapes, Bahlulzade satiated his color palette, achieving a colorful decorativeness in his displays.

In 1933, began studying at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, where he became a student of Vladimir Favorsky. It is at this Institute that Bahlulzade started showing interest in landscape painting. His frequent summer trips to Crimea played an important role in developing his mastery of landscape art. There, Bahlulzade realized that painting really was his true purpose and path in life.

Sattar attended the National Art Institute in Baku starting in 1927. After graduating in 1931, he began working with Azim Azimzade for the newspaper "Communist" as a graphic illustrator. Bahlulzade worked in the editorial office for two years, during which his first works of art, cartoons, were published.

Sattar Bahlulzade (Azerbaijani: Səttar Bəhlulzadə; 15 December 1909 – 14 October 1974) was an Azerbaijani painter, best known for his landscape paintings depicting the nature of Azerbaijan. He is considered to be the founder of Azerbaijani Impressionism.

Sattar Bahlulzade was born on 15 December 1909 in the village of Amirjan near Baku. He was the third child in the family after two elder sisters. Sattar developed a love for painting in his early childhood. After his father bought him colored pencils, Sattar drew everything around him - the Novruz holiday, Kos-kosa dances, children jumping over bonfires as part of the Novruz tradition, etc. Being surrounded by objects of folklore art - colorful carpets woven by his mother and grandmother, jewelry, as well as ceramics and copper dishes passed down from generation to generation - Sattar began to cultivate a love for art. In one of his diaries, the artist wrote: