Thread by @DrAlakbarov, Thread: Tahir Salahov is my favourite painter of all time.In 1937, his [...]

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Tahir Salahov is my favourite painter of all time.

In 1937, his father was arrested as he was accused of being a member of the counter-revolutionary organization in the Soviet Union. On July 4, 1937, his father was shot.

In 1956, Tahir's father was acquitted of the charges due to the absence of a crime.

Her mother was forced to raise five children alone. She did not have to rely on outside help, because all relatives and friends turned their backs on the family of the enemy of the people.

For 19 years, no stranger has crossed the threshold of Tahir Salahov's house.

His development as an artist starting out in the 1950s was largely shaped by the Soviet government's mandate-namely, that all artists should paint according to the style defined as "Socialist Realism".

For Salahov, red is a color that's best used sparingly. It's great for accenting specific objects - whether it be naturally red objects such as chili peppers , or objects not normally associated with red such as an oil tanker, an oil pipeline, or even the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

In Tahir Salahov's early work, apart from this touch of red, the remainder of his canvas was typically spread with neutral tones ranging from light gray and beige to darker shades of olive, brown and black.

Take away the red, which obviously was associated with Communism, and the painting loses its dramatic edge.

During Soviet Union, the term "Socialist Realism" also implied that the subject matter that artists painted would be cheerful, productive, confident and optimistic-not gray, dismal, depressing or questioning.

But Tahir took this mandate a step further and created his own style, known as "Severe Socialist Realism".

Tahir's early works, though realistic, dare to suggest that life was not rosy and triumphant despite the fact that his themes clearly fell within the prescribed formula.

As a young painter, Tahir Salahov knew all too well what could happen when one confronted the Soviet system.

Tahir found refuge in the world of drawing-first, at the Pioneer Palace and later in Art College.

Tahir Salahov remembers his first introduction to art. He had borrowed a book from the library and after reading it, someone suggested that he draw pictures to illustrate the story.

Salahov kept the book several weeks longer and did just that, and thus began what turned out to be a very successful career in the arts. Later on he drew pictures for many books without prodding from anyone.

Portraits occupy a special place in Salahov's creative activity. He has painted the portraits of Azerbaijan's foremost composers - Gara Garayev and Fikrat Amirov along with Azerbaijani poet Rasul Rza and Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, to name a few.

When Tahir painted Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich's portrait, he took a much different approach. Shostakovich, who was seriously ill when he sat for the portrait, solemnly gazes into space with his back to the piano. His frail hands rest on a red velvet piano stool.

Tahir Salahov painted "To You, Humanity!" [depicting space travel] and exhibited it for the first time on 12 April 1961. It was on this very day that Yuri Gagarin first went into space.

The painting caused excitement at the time.

Tahir Salahov:

“I always value dedication in artists because artists are the most dedicated – he works silently, takes his work to a gallery in silence, they accept this work from him, or if not he takes the work and goes off quietly, and again carries on with his job.”