HIGHLIGHTS RELIGIOUS GUIDES SITES I. V. SAVITSKY KARAKALPAKSTAN STATE MUSEUM OF ART
COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS
Collection Highlights: I. V. Savitsky Karakalpakstan State Museum of Artof art of the Republic of Karakalpakstan The state museum
named after I.V. Savitsky was founded in February 1966 by the
COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS
of the Government of the Republic of Karakalpakstan. The £9.95decree / $14.95 museum’s first director was lgor Vitalievich Savitsky – an artist Publication: April 2022 from Moscow, who connected his life with Karakalpakstan. From 80 pages; pb of his acquaintance with the culture of this region, the first day Savitsky in the archaeological findings 190 ×I.V. 165 mmwas (6.5interested × 7.5 in.) Central Asia. 978 1of 78551 344Later 2 he discovered a world of Russian and
Turkestan avant-garde. I.V. Savitsky started gathering artworks of well-known artists and formed a unique collection of the museum Published as part of an extensive in a short period of time, having the support and confidence of the programme promoting theofrich Government and intelligentsia Karakalpakstan.
I.V. SAVITSKY KARAKALPAKSTAN STATE MUSEUM OF ART
cultural heritage of the Republic Today the museum’s collection includes about 100 000 pieces of Uzbekistan in collaboration of items, and covers chronologically more than four thousand and according to experts, it is the best art collection in with years, the Art and Culture Central Asia. ItFoundation has archeological artifacts, found on the sites of Development ancient Khorezm, the objects of Karakalpak folk and applied arts, of the Republic of Uzbekistan. and the most well-known art pieces are the art works of Russian and Turkestan avant-garde, Western European art pieces. The Alsocollection available in French, Russian of Russian avant-garde of the museum is the second after the State Russian Museum (Russian Federation). and Uzbek editions
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The State Museum of Art of the Republic of Karakalpakstan named after I.V. Savitsky was founded in February 1966 by decree of the Government of the Republic of Karakalpakstan. The museum’s first director was lgor Vitalievich Savitsky (1915–1984) – an artist from Moscow who had a long connection with Karakalpakstan. Today, the museum is home to around one hundred thousand items spanning more than four thousand years, and according to experts it is the best art collection in Central Asia. The first in a series of books on the museum collections and cultural heritage of Uzbekistan, this title features examples of applied art and design and the best-known paintings by Alexander Volkov, Robert Falke, Mikhail Kurzin, Nikolay Karakhan and many others.
Nikolay Karakhan (1900–1970)
Laying the Water Pipes in Bukhara, early 1930s Oil on canvas
89.5 × 124.5 cm
Nikolay Karakhan was born in the Caucasus but lived in Central Asia all his life. All his creative work is connected with the region. Karakhan’s close association with A.N. Volkov, which began in the mid-1920s, had a profound influence on his development as an artist. From 1931 to 1932, Volkov gathered around him a group of young artists who became known as the ‘Volkov Brigade’. Nikolay Karakhan joined the group, together with Ural Tansykbaev, Alexey Podkovyrov and Pavel Shchegolev. The task of the group was to create a national style that would combine the traditions of Western and Eastern art. In the spirit of those creative times, regular ‘creative work trips’ were undertaken by the Brigade to capture the heroics of everyday life on canvases. The painting Laying the Water Pipes in Bukhara depicts one of the key construction events under socialism in Bukhara – the laying of a water pipeline. Water is extremely important in Central Asia. It is difficult to imagine this today, but back in the late 1920s, residents of Bukhara, a city of many thousands, got their drinking water from open reservoirs (khaus) located throughout the city, and this led to numerous infectious diseases among Bukharians. This explains why a seemingly mundane construction site became such a significant event. Karakhan has given the construction of the water pipeline an epic feel. The muscular, half-naked men look like Atlanteans who are not just carrying a pipe but appear as if they are holding up the vault of heaven. In the foreground, the man with his back to the viewer is drinking water, which conveys the essential significance of what is happening – clean water that can be drunk without fear is being made available. Karakhan depicts contemporary realities in the central plane, where we can see a marching unit of Pioneers and a traditional water tank (a khaus) with people standing on its steps. On the right, builders are restoring a medieval monument, showing their respect for the past. In the background, Karakhan has created an architectural fantasy out of silhouettes of the famous medieval monuments of Bukhara. Despite the painting’s small size, it gives the impression of being a monumental mural. 38
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I.V. SAVITSKY KARAKALPAKSTAN STATE MUSEUM OF ART
layINg THe waTeR pIpes IN BUKHaRa
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