The State Museum of Fine Arts opened a solo exhibition of works by the Honored Art Worker of Turkmenistan, Kamil Veliakhmedov, titled "Plein Air: Seasons". The exhibition attracted the attention of colleagues from the creative community, art historians, students of the State Academy of Arts of Turkmenistan, friends, lovers of painting, and numerous admirers of the artist's talent.
Kamil Veliakhmedov is an extraordinary artist. His landscapes are unlike those of other painters. The difference is that he perceives color in a unique way. For him, there are no black, white, or gray objects—they are all colorful. In his works, the waves of the Caspian Sea are pink from the sunset, the mountains are blue, the trees are red, even if autumn is still far away.
“There is an expression, ‘The world through the eyes of an artist,’” comments Juma Tirkeshov, director of variety and mass performances. “According to this saying, the artist conveys what he himself sees. Every painting by Kamil Veliakhmedov is the work of an individual. Looking at them, whether it’s winter or autumn, I feel as if I am next to him in the open air. Kamil loves to travel around the city’s surroundings, in the foothills of Kopetdag, and enjoys visiting architectural monuments of antiquity. He can be found painting outdoors than in the studio.”
We note an interesting approach in the painting “Anev Mosque.” The artist depicted a field of scarlet poppies in front of the Anev Mosque. Perhaps this view inspired the artist to think that beautiful poppies bloom in spring, but their beauty lasts only a few days, whereas for the mosque, time holds little significance.
“There are teachers who see in their students a continuation of themselves,” says Kamil Nuryyevich. “These mentors insist on strictly adopting their achievements. My teacher, the People’s Artist of Turkmenistan Annadurdy Almamedov, is not one of them. He taught me by the principle: ‘First quantity, then quality.’ At first, I worked very hard before I began to notice the emergence of my own style. One day, looking at my paintings, my teacher said: ‘Now work on quality.’ I am grateful to my mentor for the freedom in creative beginnings. My idols were the Impressionists—Monet, Cézanne, Stanislav Babikov. I learned from them how to convey, through color, the celebration of the joy of existence in landscapes. Remarkably, about seven years ago, after visiting my solo exhibition, Annadurdy Almamedov exclaimed: ‘I like the way you paint!’ The first visitors, especially students of the academy, viewed the exhibited landscapes and portraits with great interest. Some of them approached the author with questions.”
“One can sense Impressionism with elements of national painting in Kamil Veliakhmedov’s paintings,” explains Nuryagdy Babaev, chief specialist of the scientific department of the Museum of Fine Arts. “This is evident in the bright color spots and the joyful mood evoked by his works.”
