Not the flesh, but the Soul

People in Bayramov’s paintings always have a sense of vibrancy and stoicism.

Each is rendered with utmost respect and care, creating a sense of personality for the viewer. Upon the completion of this drawing, Bayramov asked Paltayeva to tell him her thoughts. She stated: I'm amazed by your talent and your ability to capture my expression in such a short period of time.

The artist shows us that each person is unique and interesting in their own way, whatever their task may be. Seeing her finished portrait, the musicologist stated: Thank you, Durdy, for revealing who I am!

Bayramov did not see a class division and painted the most well known cultural figures to members of the working class with equal respect.

In this painting famous musician Sahy Jepbarov plays on a traditional Turkmen instrument known as a dutar: a two stringed lute made from the wood of the mulberry tree. The musician is otherwise referred to as a bagshy, which implies his status as a renowned community performer who plays Turkmen traditional songs. Jepbarov wrote over two hundred folk songs and was known nationally.

Bayramov paints musician Annagelgy Julgayev with his instrument, a traditional Turkmen gijak. Julgayev played an innovative role in the development of Turkmenistan’s national music culture. He is middle aged and has a spirituality about his face that suggests he has considerable musical experience. The musician’s fingers are long and muscular from years of dedicated practice. The most detailed part of this work is Julgayev’s face, and the viewer is drawn to it by the comparatively loose brushstrokes in his clothes and the curtain in the background.

Some portraits took a few years to complete, as his subjects were busy with their respective crafts.

While Bayramov only met some of the subjects for the first time when they came for their sitting, they were invariably lifelong friends by the time their portrait was complete.

This painting captures a Turkmen ussa; a Turkmen jeweller with his tools and equipment for creating traditional silver jewellery. In the artist’s classic style, he captures the sitter against a background of a Turkmen flat tapestry woven carpet known as a kilim. This painting is a good example of Bayramov’s use of deep and rich earth tones. The contrast and depth allows the images to pop off the picture plane and become three-dimensional. The ussa’s face gives us one of many focal points as he explains to the viewer the process of silversmithing.

Bayramov always sang great praise of his teachers, as they helped to shape his artistic practice as much as his caring personality. His first teacher, Gennady Brusentov, was the father that the artist never had. On Bayramov’s 60th birthday, he created this large painting to pay tribute to his incredible mentor. The artist paints Brusentov in his element, surrounded by paint brushes, still life objects and Turkmen vistas. He looks into the viewers eyes with an experienced gaze, which is quite fitting: Brusentov influenced an entire generation of prestigious visual artists.

Bayramov's ability to connect with people and uncover their essential qualities as he painted them allowed him to skilfully reveal the spirit of an entire generation of Turkmen visionaries.

The artist was always looking: looking for his family, looking for his identity, looking for his country’s identity.

The expressiveness of each face shows Bayramov’s dedication to finding a person’s innermost sense of character while simultaneously allowing for his unique artistic interpretation.

Within his portraits, he found Turkmenistan’s culture. Whether it was a distinguished luminary or a simple farmer, Bayramov shows us the identity that was shared and cherished by all Turkmens: one of family, love, and tradition.

Bayramov once said that when you paint a portrait, you paint not the flesh but the soul.
In his portraits, we see not just a soul, but a cultural legacy that will live immemorial.