ALMATY – Gazeeff Art Hall hosted an exhibition of the works of People’s Artist of Kazakhstan Yevgeni Sidorkin on April 24.
The exhibit spread awareness of Sidorkin’s life and his works have become national treasures. In Soviet times, his works were displayed in the capital of every Soviet republic and in more than 20 foreign countries. Germans, French, Americans and Canadians, Britons, Italians, Japanese, Dutch, Finns, Swedes have all admired his work, which has received the highest awards, including gold medals at exhibits in Leipzig and Krakow.
Gazeeff Art Hall presented a series of his lithographs, including “Kazakh National Games,” “Reading Saken Seifullin,” “Kazakh Epic,” “Elders” and “From the Darkness of the Centuries,” which have all become national treasures. The great artist’s unique handwriting makes them easily recognisable; he is known for accurately and capaciously visualised images of Kazakh epics and literature. He has invested all of his talent in Kazakhstan’s land, history and people.
“His deep understanding and sense of the Kazakh culture and people have helped his work become an integral part of Kazakhstan’s fine arts,” wrote Gulmira Shalabayeva Ph.D. in her monograph album “Yevgeni Sidorkin: An Anthology of Artistic Method,” which was published in 2005. “His soulful, delicate work puts viewers face to face with true modernity, varied themes and genres and a range of creativity. Thanks to the gleaming talent of the artist, all new viewers have an opportunity to appreciate the richness and flavour of our national culture.”
The wonderful artist made important discoveries regarding plastics in graphics. In a single decorative style with expressive black silhouettes and white contour lines, he created illustrations for a Kazakh epic. The artist further developed and enriched his decorative technique while working on the Kazakh National Games series.
Working on this series, Sidorkin wrote, “Kazakhstan’s national games have never ceased to amaze me with their courage and passion. I feel a need to emphasise their timelessness. These games existed 200 years ago and they will exist 200 years from now. After all, people love daring competitions; their soul speaks loudest during them.”
Another major work of the artist is the lithograph series “Reading Saken Seifullin.” It is thematically linked with the motifs and poetry of the classic of the Kazakh literature. As art critics have noted, the heroes of Seifullin’s poetry embodied in the graphics are seen as stone monuments thanks to the increased scale of figures, their unique rough textural appearances and peculiar compositions.
The series “From the Darkness of Centuries” was created over the course of two decades. In the work, the author fully exploits the plastic language of graphics, which is in tune with folk art traditions regarding rhythm, colour and temperament.
His illustrations for Mukhtar Auezov’s epic novel Abai’s Way have a special place in the artist’s heart. Sidorkin was awarded the State Shokan Ualikhanov Prize of the Republic for them.
Some of the Kazakh artist’s works are in books, such as “Merry Deceivers, ” “Story of a City” by Saltykov-Shchedrin, “Fables” by Sergey Mikhalkov and “Gargantua and Pantagruel” by Rabelais. Each of his works is a masterpiece. Sidorkin’s creativity, which glorifies Kazakhstan’s domestic arts to people all around the world, will live forever.
