Background

Sattar Bahlulzade was born on December 15, 1909, in Amirjan, Baku Governorate, Russian Empire (present-day Amirjan, Baku, Azerbaijan) in the family of Bahlul and Okuma Bahlulzade.

Education

Sattar began showing his interest in painting when he was a child. In 1927, he enrolled in Baku Art School, where Azim Azimzade was among his teachers. Bahlulzade remained at the educational institute until 1931. During his student years, he worked as a painter for the "Communist" newspaper. Sattar drew cartoons for a variety of published topics and created thought-provoking images. At that time, negligent repairers, irresponsible doctors, government officials were the main characters of his works.

In 1933, Bahlulzade entered the Surikov Moscow State Academic Art Institute, where he studied under the guidance of well-known artists, such as Vladimir Favorsky and G. M. Shegal, and learned the secrets of academic fine art. Sattar continued to study at the institute till 1940, however, he didn't defend his graduate work because of the outbreak of World War II.

Career

At the beginning of his career, besides his graphic paintings, Sattar also created historical paintings, like "Seizure of Bazz Fortress", and portraits of historical personalities, such as "Fatali Khan of Guba" (1945) and "Calligrapher Mir Ali Tabrizi" (1945). Along with the compositions on historical themes, there are very few paintings by Sattar, depicting people. Paintings, such as "My mother" and "Ghazal Khan" are worth mentioning. Sattar also depicted Fuzuli and repeatedly returned to his portrait throughout his creative life. Despite the fact, that portrait painting was out of his interest and there was a small number of portraits, created by Sattar, he showed, that he was a unique portrait painter. Having tried various genres of painting during the initial period of his creative life, the painter realized, that exactly landscape painting was his cup of tea.

Initially, Sattar created more realistic landscapes, but later, he succeeded in creating generalized compositions. The painter depicted nature as he understood and perceived it, rather than painting it in a realistic manner. Therefore, his paintings were filled with poetry. Many of Sattar's works are motivated by boundless love for his motherland and hardworking people and reflected the picturesque sceneries of Azerbaijan.

Still-life also occupied a special place in the works of Sattar Bahlulzade. The painter especially enjoyed depicting flowers and fruits and mostly displayed them against scenery background in his still-life paintings.

While the academical impact of the Russian and European fine arts could be traced in the works, created during the initial period of his career, in his later years, free and individual Eastern techniques became the key features of his paintings.

Sattar spent the biggest part of his creative life in Amirjan, traveled throughout Azerbaijan from the 1950's and was able to render its rich nature in his paintings in a manner, specific to each region. The painter depicted everything he saw and never left his sketchbook even for a moment. He was always looking for new sceneries, that would inspire him. His Absheron motifs, paintings, related to the nature of Guba and Shamakhi, and the land of Nakhchivan, are quite different from one another, each of which is distinguished by its uniqueness. From this standpoint, Bahlulzade's landscape paintings may be divided into series, which include "Upper Dashalti", "Ilandagh (Mountain of Snakes)", "Ancient Shamakhi", "Bilgah", "Shahnabad Falls", "Surakhani Fires", "Goygol (Blue Lake)" and "Tears of Kapaz".

Sattar also visited the legendary Oil Rocks. The works, such as "Caspian Beauty", "Evening on the Caspian Sea", "Oil Rocks", "Offshore Fields", "Offshore Rigs" were created during his travels to that place.

Throughout his career, Sattar had several solo exhibitions, including those at the Azerbaijan National Museum of Art (1955), as well as in Prague (1964), Moscow, Russia (1973) and Baku (1974). Moreover, his works were displayed in Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Tunisia, Norway, Germany, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Iraq, Cuba, Canada, Belgium, France, Japan, United Kingdom and other countries. In addition, in 1994, a posthumous exhibition of his work was held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.

During the 1970's, the painter created such works, as "Village of Amiijan", "Mardakan gardens", "Beach", "Mountain Lake", "Girdiman plain", "Land of Fire", "Legendary Land", "Mughan Willows", "Dadagunash" and many others.

It's worth mentioning, that Sattar held a post of an instructor, serving at Baku Art College between 1942 and 1944.

After the painter's death, several solo exhibitions of his works were held in Baku and Istanbul, as well as in London in 1995, Bonn in 1996, Baku in 1999 and 2004. Later, in 2009, a solo exhibition, dedicated to his 100th Anniversary, was held in Baku. The same year, a posthumous solo exhibition at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris was held.

Achievements

• Sattar Bahlulzade was a renowned painter, whose name is mostly associated with Azerbaijani landscape painting. He raised the status of Azerbaijani painting in the 20th century and made it an everlasting value. He was one of the founders of this genre, to which he contributed significantly with his unique style, performance and colour harmony. Sattar was also one of the first painters to visit the legendary Oil Rocks.
  
  Sattar's most distinguished works include Guba motifs. Especially notable among the series of the most famous works, related to Guba, is the artist’s "Gudyalchay Valley" (1953). Bahlulzade's other famous works include "Evening above the Caspian Sea" (1959) and "Spring of my Native Land" (1967).
  
  The painter received several awards, including the Order of the Red Banner of Labour in 1959 and 1969, as well as the State Prize of the Azerbaijan SSR in 1972. In 1960, Sattar was made the Honored Art Worker of the Azerbaijan SSR, and three years later, in 1963, he was awarded the title of the People's Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR.
  
  The greatest part of his works is kept in Azerbaijan National Museum of Art, as well as in other museums of such cities, as Moscow, Tbilisi, Yerevan, Beijing and others.
  
  There are many poems, sculptures and paintings, dedicated to Sattar.

Works

More photos

• painting

  • Goychay

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Upper Dashalti

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • In the Gardens

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Landscape. Guba

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Song of Spring

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Landscape. Çuvari

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Road to Gizbanovsha

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Ismayilli

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Song of Spring

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Alpine Meadow

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Spring

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Landscape. Amirjan

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • In the Gardens of Amsar

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Evening above Caspian Sea

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Beauty of the Caspian Sea

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Goychay

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Goygol (Blue Lake)

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Tears of Kapaz

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Dream of the Land

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Mandarines of Astara

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Autumn

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Landscape. Nakhchivan

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Blossoming Almond Tree

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Stone Forest

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Caspian Seaside

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • At the Foot of Bozdag

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Shahdag

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Caucasian Harmony

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Shahnabad

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Nakhchivan Landscape

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Bilgah

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Mountains

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Gülüstan

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Azerbaijani Fairy Tales

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Bilgah

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • South Wind

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Red Landscape

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Ancient Fires of Surakhani

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Seaside

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Azerbaijani Gardens

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Landscape. Buzovna

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Melons

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Ancient Fire

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Willows of Mughan

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Shahnabad

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Absheron adornments

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Portrait of Fuzuli

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Evening on the Lake

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Mulberry Tree

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Land of Fairy Tale

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Yellow Still Life

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Ancient Tree

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Still Life with Plate

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Autumn Flowers and Fruit

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Mountain Lake

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Still Life with Kalaghai

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Poppies

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Romantic Mountains

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Trees

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Guba

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Majnun

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • Snow and Flowers

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

  • In the Blue Sky

    (Azerbaijan National Museum of Art)

Views

Sattar's paintings are not limited by time and space. Poetry and painting successfully came together in his works to bring the poetic mood to the Azerbaijan fine art. Paying attention to Sattar’s works, one can notice, that he had his own unique and absolutely inimitable style. One of the key distinguishing features of Sattar’s paintings is that he never repeated the same forms in a composition. In addition, the painter's colour palette was clean and correct, and he never used a mixture of more than three colours.

Quotations: "As a painter, I have been greatly influenced by three important areas of art: our old carpets, our miniatures and the great poetry of Fuzuli."

"I don't need to go to Tahiti like Gauguin. My inspiration comes from my own country and people."

"Some painters draw ideas, others paint emotion and excitement. I belong to the second group."

"You can be called a great artist only when you are capable of creating what you want to see and hear."

"Strong feelings and sense! You cannot become a real painter if you do not have these two beautiful gifts."

Membership

• member

  Artists' Union of the USSR

  1941

Personality

Sattar was an incredibly generous man and often presented his paintings to other people. He was never interested in material things, such as money, clothes, or anything else, and always smoked the cheapest cigarettes.

Apart from being a great landscape painter, Sattar Bahlulzade was unusual and eccentric. He always defied bans and restrictions and did whatever he wanted. He would visit Qizbanovsha, Tangaalti, Shahdag and Goygol anytime he wanted, even at midnight. He would go outdoors to calm down and forget about the injustice he faced in Baku.

Physical Characteristics: Sattar always had long hair. People say, that he had it cut only twice in his lifetime.

Quotes from others about the person

• "Sattar was an irreplaceable painter of landscapes, and also an interesting and nice person. I have visited every inch of Azerbaijani territory with him. Whenever I talk about nature, I remember Sattar. And when I talk about Sattar, I think of nature. Sattar used to breathe nature and could not stay away from it. Sattar was fond of nature." - Toğrul Nərimanbəyov, an artist and Sattar's friend

Interests

• Writers

  Fuzuli

• Music & Bands

  classical music

Connections

Sattar was never married.

mentor:

Vladimir Favorsky

mentor:

G. M. Shegal

mentor:

Azim Azimzade

References

• "Servet" series of albums. The National Heritage project. As part of The National Heritage project implemented by Xalq Bank, Azerbaijan National Museum of Art under the head of Chingiz Farzaliyev prepared the "Servet" series of albums dedicated to the masters of Azerbaijani art.
  2013