At the crossroads of cultures
Uzbek culture was forged by incorporating the traditions of the populations that successively occupied the territory of present-day Uzbekistan. The earliest rock paintings in the region date back to primitive societies: they can be found in the Tashkent oasis, the Ferghana valley and the western Tien-Shan (bestiary and hunting scenes). The Amou Darya treasure confirms the existence of elaborate art in this area as early as the Bronze Age. Ritual sculptures and terracotta figurines found at the Jarkutan and Molallitepa archaeological sites attest to pictorial traditions established at this time.
Antiquity and Kushan art
Between the 4th century BC and the 4th century AD, all the major arts flourished. The interiors of temples, palaces and castles were adorned with magnificent paintings, sculptures and silverware.
The Kushan period (between the end of the 1st and the 3rd centuries) was characterized by its diversity. Greco-Roman divinities coexisted with Buddhist traditions and the Iranian pantheon. The relics can be divided into two categories: imperial art inherited from the Iranian model, and the style born of the blending of Buddhist, Greco-Roman and Indian models. The recurring sun and moon motifs are derived from Zoroastrianism.
The 3,000 exhibits in Tashkent's Museum of Fine Arts are the perfect complement to a visit to historic sites and a journey along the ancient Silk Road.
Khaganat Empire
Established in 552, this powerful empire stretched across Central Asia until 744, when a synthesis was achieved between Turkic and Sogdian cultures. The Sogdians, a trading people, were noted for their tolerance of all peoples with whom they came into contact. Silk culture developed under their influence. The Sogdian artistic vocabulary is characterized by heroic or cultic themes, including the eternal battle between Good and Evil, and hunting scenes (reliefs and paintings at Varakhcha, the sovereigns' residence 39 km northwest of Bukhara).
Paintings are characterized by complex composition and chromatic abundance. Palaces and castles are richly adorned with frescoes showing dihqān feasting. The men wear gold belts, from which hang superb swords or daggers. Women keep them company. Sitting or lying on carpets, with their servants in the background. Not to be missed are the creations of this period from the city of Afrasyab, dating from the 7th and 8th centuries, and preserved on site at the Afrasyab Museum in Samarkand.
Islam in Central Asia
The Timurid reign saw the emergence of two forms of pictorial expression. Monumental painting, recounting historical events and daily life, and small format, often stylized decorative landscapes or portraits. As Tamerlane's empire fell into the hands of the Muslim Chaybanid dynasty, figurative images were outlawed. Paintings and sculpted reliefs were destroyed, the Samarkand temple ransacked and wooden idols burned. Monumental painting and sculpture disappeared in favor of ornamental art inherited from Muslim aesthetics. Uzbek masters developed extraordinarily complex geometric motifs, interwoven with tendrils, flowers and fruit.
The art of the miniature
The evolution of Uzbek painting reflects the country's unique history. Muslim norms pushed artists towards abstraction. The art of the miniature, which appeared later, benefited from two prosperous periods, in the 12th and 16th centuries. In the early days, these small, colored and lacquered images played a decorative role. Later, they were combined with calligraphy to embellish religious texts. Ultimately, miniatures were combined with words to illustrate legends and poems.
Miniature painting thus became the most typical visual art of Uzbekistan. Its great masters are Kamoliddin Behzod (16th century), Ahmad Donish (19th century) and Davlat Toshev for the present day. The latter, from the seventh generation of a line of miniaturists, became a member of the Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan.
Kamoliddin Behzod (1450-1535) is certainly the most famous, but also one of the most mysterious because he is semi-legendary. He headed the royal workshops in Herat and Tabriz at the end of the Timurid period. Renowned for his ability to capture the nuances of man, he produced a multitude of pieces deemed "graceful", the best known of which is " The Seduction of Yusuf and Zuleykha", currently preserved at the National Library of Archives in Cairo, Egypt.
Produced in 1488 and measuring just 30 cm by 21 cm, it illustrates the story of Joseph's escape from Potiphar's wife.
Modern and contemporary art
In the mid-19th century, easel painting and drawing from Europe were adopted when Tsarist Russia launched expeditions to study the culture and life of neighboring Turkestan. The first Russian artist was Vasily Vereshchagin. A second turning point came in the 20th century, again under the influence of Russian painters. Igor Savitsky created the Noukous Art Museum, entirely dedicated to Uzbek art. His collection starts with Khorezm antiquities and features splendid Russian icons alongside the world's second-largest collection of Russian avant-garde.
In just a few decades (1910-1940), Impressionism and Avant-garde currents (Fauvism, Cubism, Futurism, Expressionism, Chagallism) found fertile ground and a form of avant-gardism unique to Central Asia emerged. Influenced by Cubism in Alexander Volkov's "Pomegranate Teahouse" (1924) Moscow, or the naive art of Nikolai Karakhan, a great Uzbek figure who became a national figure, Ural Tansykbaev (1904-1974). His works, influenced by Fauvism and Expressionism, are exhibited in various museums and in the internationally renowned Tashkent Memorial Museum, where he was awarded a silver medal at the Brussels World Fair (Wereldtentoonstelling Brussel) in 1958.
The classical heritage of the West, the traditions of Russian iconography and the experimentalism of the avant-garde were blended with the decorative ornament of Central Asian art and pictorial traditions (customs and secular way of life, exceptional landscapes and nature, figures similar to biblical prophets), revealing a folk art with multiple layers of meaning and symbolism.
Abdulhaq Abdullayev was one of the first leaders to emerge. Fascinated by human nature, he brought socialist realism to his portraits. His contemporary, Rakhim Akhmedov, was inspired by the burning sun, swift rivers and opulent gardens. Chingiz Akhmarov, for his part, drew on Uzbekistan's ancient roots in landscapes reminiscent of oriental miniatures. He has also taken on public commissions, such as for the Tashkent metro and a number of public buildings. In addition, his wife, Shamsroi Khasanova, was Uzbekistan's first recognized female artist, and her works focus on women and their spirituality.
In the 1970s, many artists (Shukhrat Adurashidov, Maskhud Tukhtaev, Shukhrat Timurov, Khaidar Sanaevont...) used their work to challenge the ruling power. Each drew on his or her own influences, which is why no single school or artistic movement emerged. The official recognition of Fine Arts as pure creation and no longer a craft, in 1997, with the foundation of the Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan. At last!
From now on, contemporary art meets traditional art in the halls of theArt Gallery Caravan.
Nowadays
Still little known, Uzbek photographers have to deal with tenacious prohibitions. Friends photographers, caution is still the order of the day. Film-maker Ummida Akhmedova, committed to photographing life in rural areas, is the first woman documentary filmmaker to have received professional training (at the Moscow Film Institute). Photography enthusiasts should not miss a visit to the Tashkent House of Photography and the Bonum Factum Gallery, dedicated to contemporary photography and inviting emerging artists to exhibit.
Participating in the third Tashkent Photobiennale, Elyor Nematov's work is both documentary and sensitive. His themes include immigrant workers in Central Asia, gender equality and the children of Bukhara. Winner of the 2014 Getty Young Talent Reportage Award, his photographs are exhibited worldwide.
There is little street art or graffiti, long considered an act of opposition to the government. Soviet-era murals are also tending to disappear, as they are attached to a part of history that we want to forget! Tashkent's first major mural only appeared in 2018, on Shota Rustaveli Street. However, attitudes are changing and in 2020, the work of street artist InkUZart, nicknamed the Banksy of Tashkent, was warmly welcomed. Dedicated to the coronavirus and the emotions linked to the COVID-19 epidemic, they created a buzz with his revisited version of Mona Lisa wearing a mask concealing her famous smile (residential district of Chilanzar, school wall in Tashkent). Since then, his walls denouncing the country's excessive consumerism and politics have continued to multiply! Since April 1, 2024, the government has set up a "Street-art and Music" project offering new venues to encourage the creation of street artists and musicians, including the pioneering Shota Rastavelli Street.
The little urban art you'll come across in Uzbekistan takes the form of official commissions in metro stations. Photography inside the metro has only been permitted since June 2018. The Kosmonavtlar station is adorned with dreamlike portraits of cosmonauts, including Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman to travel in space. At Pakhtakor station, a huge fluffy bouquet reminds us that Uzbekistan is one of the world's leading cotton producers. The Oybek station, named after the Uzbek poet and writer, lends its walls to illustrations of a well-known epic poem by this author.
