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Click on photos to enlarge I was born in 1953 and grew up in a world of art. My father Hasan Hagverdiyev was an artist. My brother Ujal, as well as my sister Saida are also professional artists. My fascination with art began when I was three years old. My formal journey began in the 1960s and 1970s when I studied at Baku's Technical Art School after Azim Azimzade. Afterwards, I attended the Mukhina Academy of Arts in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) for five years (1975-1980). Since then, I have returned to Baku to carry out my professional creative life here. I was educated as a sculptor, but I don't confine my work to three-dimensional art. I also love to paint, do graphics and work with various materials. My character is such that I thrive on experimentation. I don't want to confine my work to only one medium. I'm always in search of new materials and always studying how these materials can be employed in art. What characterizes my works? Clearly, the fact that it is not driven by any one given style or direction. I never restrict myself in what direction to work. I like to work with various medium-rock, for example, like limestone, granite and marble. Lately, I've begun to make framed collages from various materials-paper, cardboard and wood. To me, life is like a collage, built upon layers and layers of experiences, accumulated over time and myriad interactions with people. Just like life itself, at the end of the art experience, a rather complicated collage is the result. Why do I paint? Probably because I'm compelled to do it. Art is the reflection of the artist's thoughts, feelings, and world. I paint, maybe, because I have a great need to express myself, and I do it with great pleasure and love. I think if I had the chance to be born a second time, I would again want to be a painter because the artist gets to spend his time reflecting upon Beauty. Admittedly, it's not an easy life because a true artist must reflect the Truth. There are artists like me, who always try to express the world as we feel it, and not influenced by whether people will understand it or not, or whether people will buy it or not. That's also presents difficulties. People do not always understand Art. Nevertheless, I think it is the duty of the artist to depict Truth, even in cases when it doesn't appeal to others. That's what I try to do in my works. It's always very difficult. Contact Husein Hagverdiyev in
Baku: The Loft, Istiglaliyyat (Parliament) Avenue across the
street from the Baku Soviet Metro Station, Block 500, 6th Floor,
No. 10, Tel: Mobile: (994-50) 374-51-87. Please telephone first
if you would like to visit Husein in his studio in the Loft.
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AI 11.2 (Summer 2003) |
