Background
Bahruz Shirali bey oghlu Kangarli was born on January 22, 1892 in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan into a family of Shirali bey. the secretary of the city court.
1912
Bahruz Kangarli with his fellows from Tbilisi School of Art on a guided tour in Gelati.
Bahruz Kangarli
Bahruz Kangarli
Shirali bey, Bahruz Kangarli's father.
(From left to right) Bahruz Kangarli's father Shirali bey, his uncle Gadir Agha and his sisters.
Shirali bey Kangarli with little Bahruz Kangarli.
Shirin khanim, Bahruz Kangarli's stepmother.
Bahruz Shirali bey oghlu Kangarli was born on January 22, 1892 in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan into a family of Shirali bey. the secretary of the city court.
Bahruz Kangarli received secondary education at home from his stepmother Shirin khanim because he had problems with hearing caused by a childish illness. He revealed his talent for painting early in his childhood and was supported in the passion by his father who provided the son with paper, pencils, and paints from Tbilisi.
Deprived of the communication with his peers, Kangarli devoted all his free time to painting and expressing emotions by pencil. The boy developed his skills making copies of the cartoons from the Molla Nasreddin magazines.
In 1910, Kangarli entered the School of Art associated with the Society of Encouragement of Fine Arts in Tbilisi. He graduated five years later and came back to his native Nakhchivan.
While at the institution, Kangarli learned the basics of anatomy and perspective as well as the traditions of Russian Realism and those of the European schools that had a certain influence on his upcoming canvases. Otto Schmerling, Yegishe Tadevosyan, Q. Qabashvili, A. Mrevles, and a sculptor Y. Nikoladze were among his teachers. Kangarli developed his artistic skills copying the works of a prominent Azerbaijani artist Azim Azimzade whom he met.
As a student, Kangarli was also introduced to writer and editor of Molla Nasreddin Jalil Mammadguluzade. It was a meeting that played an important role in the formation of Kengerli’s artistic mind and his ability to reflect on his canvases the social-political events he witnessed. The artist produced a number of satirical works for the magazine.
At the beginning of his artistic path, Bahruz Kangarli created a lot of portraits and landscapes the most part of which reflected the nature’s beauty of his native Nakhchivan. During the first period of his career, Kangarli used pencil, charcoal, water and oil paints as his favorite mediums. The pencil drawings of different sized he produced from 1911 to 1913 were gathered in the album ‘Azerbaijani Characters’.
The artist organized the first exhibitions of his works in his apartment in a hope to be useful to the society. His aim was to turn people to culture and to have a positive influence on the taste of the young generation. In that way, he also gave free workshops. The debut solo show of the artist outside his house was held in 1914 in Tbilisi and received good reviews from critics and captured the attention of the local intelligentsia.
The second period of Kangarli’s activity as an artist coincided with the social and political perturbations in Azerbaijan in 1918-1920. The tragedies and hostility the artist witnessed during this time were reflected in his canvases which were full of love and respect for the people on the one hand and of revolt against injustice on the other. The ‘Refugees’ series was among the examples of such works.
In 1917, Bahruz Kangarli tried his hand as a set decorator in the Nakhchivan club. He designed set decorations, make-up, and costumes of such stagings like Jalil Mammadguluzade’s ‘The Dead’, Mirza Fatali Akhundov’s ‘Haji Qara’, and Abdurrahim bey Hagverdiyev’s ‘The Witch’. The second exhibition of his works was held again in his small apartment.
Bahruz Kangarli was also active as an educator this period of time. He enlightened Nakhchivan inhabitants organizing a sort of interactive exhibitions where everyone interested could discuss art. After the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was established, the artist founded a special class to teach painting to youngsters and encourage their love for the art.
The third and last exhibition of Kangarli’s works was held in 1921. It featured about 500 of his canvases.
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
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(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
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(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
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(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
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(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
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(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
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(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
(Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)
Bahruz Kangarli had a deep sense of love and respect to his native country what was expressed not only on his canvases. The money he earned from one of his exhibitions were donated to the city orphanage. During the period of social instability in the country, Kangarli often sheltered orphan children in his home nourishing and getting them dressed.
Having a slim figure and delicate facial features, Bahruz Kangarli characterized himself as a meditative and creative person. According to people who knew the artist, he always looked younger than he was indeed.
Quotes from others about the person
"The works of Bahruz Kengerli are national treasure for the state of Azerbaijan." Heydar Aliyev, the third President of Azerbaijan