‘My Teacher is Nature Itself’: Azerbaijan Marks Birthday of People’s Artist Huseyn Aliyev

Jerusalem, 22 April, 2025 (TPS-IL) -- (AZERTAC) – Tuesday marks the 114th anniversary of the birth People’s Artist Huseyn Aliyev of Azerbaijan.

AZERTAC reports that the works of the prominent artist, who dedicated more than 60 years of his 80-year life to art, and who said, “My teacher is nature itself,” and who was bound to his homeland Azerbaijan with endless love, still arouse great interest today.

Aliyev is one of the most unforgettable representatives of Azerbaijani fine arts. Portraits and natural landscapes predominate in the work of this talented artist.

Aliyev was born on April 22, 1911 in the village of Jomardli in the Garakilseh region of Zangezur district. The nature, mountains, waterfalls – in short, the beauty he saw from a young age – dominated his heart. It is no coincidence that he was 12 years old when he painted his first painting.

To master the secrets of this art even more deeply, Aliyev entered the art college in Baku where he studied from 1927-1932. His caricatures and paintings were published in the magazine “Molla Nasreddin”, which criticized various ugliness. “Molla Nasreddin”, which is considered an important stage in the development of the Azerbaijani press and the topics it covered are still relevant today, played a major role in the formation of Huseyn Aliyev as an artist. His caricatures published in the magazine made readers think and draw conclusions. He studied at the Leningrad Institute of Painting, Architecture and Sculpture from 1932 to 1935. After completing his education, he devoted his entire life to the newspaper “Communist,” now named “Xalq Gazeti.”

Since 1922, the prominent artist Azim Azimzadeh was the chief artist of “Communist,” but the young and talented Aliyev replaced him 1935. Aliyev worked as the head of the art design department of “Xalq Gazeti” for more than half a century.

Portraits and landscapes dominated the work of the talented artist. It is no coincidence that for the portrait of the brilliant thinker Mirza Fatali Akhundzadeh, which Aliyev painted in his youth, he was awarded first place in the republican competition and received a prize of 3,000 manats ($1,700). Aliyev was a master of free and quick work. Even as a student, the works of art he created attracted attention at first sight. He could paint portraits of his colleagues, family members, and people of interest to him in a short time.

When World War II began, Aliyev voluntarily enlisted in the army. He worked as an artist in the 48th Art Propaganda Regiment under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Together with members of the musicians’ unit, he repeatedly visited the front line, created portraits of many brave fighters, prepared posters on the theme of war, and drew caricatures of Hitlerites who were pursuing usurpation.

A member of the Union of Artists since 1940, Aliyev was awarded the honorary titles of Honored Artist in 1977 and People’s Artist in 1982.

The artist, who spent his childhood in Zangezur and Nakhchivan, was fascinated by the colorful range of nature. This fascination is felt in each of his works, in the palette of colors, and in the reality of the images created.

People’s Artist Tahir Salahov writes in his memoirs: “A bright, charming memory of People’s Artist Huseyn Aliyev lives in my heart. He inherited and continued the Azerbaijani painting tradition from Bahruz Kangarli and Azim Azimzadeh. We, the generation of artists, came to art much later. We always approach this old elder with gratitude, highly appreciate his creativity and the new breath he brought to culture. He was a master of working with colors. In particular, he skillfully applied attributes and symbols in his works that helped to reveal the meaning of the content. The rhythm and harmony of music could be heard in his colors. This vitality is not inherent in every artist.”

Aliyev’s works such as “Zangezur Landscape”, “Zangezur Mountains”, “Sheki Waterfall”, “Jomardli Landscape”, “Winter in the Forest”, “Autumn”, “Sunset” are the product of his subtle observational skills.