Paint Art Baku
Floriana Monterroza
A 10-year jail sentence handed to Giyas Ibrahimov, a 22-year-old youth activist detained after spraying graffiti on a statue of the former President of Azerbaijan, is a shocking assault on freedom of expression, Amnesty International said today.
Giyas Ibrahimov and fellow activist Bayram Mammadov were arrested on 9 May 2016, after Mammadov posted a photo on Facebook of graffiti they had painted on a statue of Heydar Aliyev, the late former President of Azerbaijan and the father of the current President Ilham Aliyev.
Amnesty International believes that Giyas Ibrahimov and Bayram Mammadov are prisoners of conscience and that the drug charges against them were fabricated with the sole purpose of punishing them for their political activities.
I like to get together with fellow artists and friends in the studio, where we work on still lifes and other compositions. For portraits, we invite models or friends, and sometimes dress them in historical costumes. We also spend time en plein air (the great outdoors) to paint landscapes.
Of course, I never let go of my dream of being an artist, and the opportunity eventually came when my family moved to Moscow. I had quit my job at the IFRC and, at the time, my husband was working and I was taking care of our children. It was then that I met my first professional teacher, the very talented Russian painter Alexander Ivanovitch Verstov. He was my private tutor for five years. After that I applied to the Moscow State Academic Art Institute. There, I took a three year course and graduated with a diploma in painting.
Yes, at the moment I share a studio with other artists in the historical Moscow Painters House, located on Verkhnyaya Maslovka Street. In the past, it has supported a great number of famous Russian painters, such as the late greats Igor Emmanuilovitch Grabar, Alexander Alexandrovitch Deyneka, Arcady Alexandrovitch Plastov and Yuri Ivanovitch Pimenov. The construction of Moscow Painters House was initiated in 1920 by the painter, historian, poet and art restorer Igor Emmanuilovitch Grabar. During the Soviet era the government supported the building of the project and allowed artists to live there and create work free of charge. Today, one building still serves this same purpose, and it is here that members of the Moscow Artists Union have access to free studios.
The second exhibition was held at the Serbian Embassy in Moscow in February of this year. Entitled Serbia on the Palettes of Russian Artists, it was devoted to 180 years of Russian-Serbian diplomatic relations and featured the works of 11 artists.
More landscapes, flowers and all that spring can bring me. I also plan to stay in Baku for a couple of weeks and paint some cityscapes. Next year, I am planning to visit more interesting countries to paint vistas. While my next exhibition is planned for Moscow, I am currently investigating opportunities in Baku.
There are four Russian painters that I collaborate with. Usually, we organize trips and plan exhibitions together. As we share a studio and regularly paint together. Everyone works in their individual manner and colour palette but we still influence each other by giving advice and reviewing finished pieces. I find our collaboration useful, interesting and motivating due to an element of healthy competition between us.
These would have to include Russian artists Alexander Verstov, Sergey Aldushkin, Bato Dugarjapov and Sergei Kurbatov, as well as Russian/Azerbaijani Tahir Salakhov (who has an amazing house-museum in Baku) and Azerbaijani painters Sakit Mammadov and Mahmud Mahmudzadeh, as well as American painter John Salminen.
As you can see from the photos, much of the detailed painting work for the logos was applied by hand by our specialists. They hand-painted the start/finish line and the Azerbaijan logo. The images show the process of setting-out using a tape measure before paint application.
Before applying the sporting lines to the circuit, we used our ultra-high-pressure (UHP) water jet cleaning machine to prepare the surface before the race. The cleaning machine removes oil, dirt, debris and redundant line markings from the road without damaging the surface underneath. This leaves the surface cleaner and safer for drivers with improved friction and grip.
Because the race is on a temporary street circuit, careful planning is required to prepare the track in advance. Essentially, we need to apply the first coat of paint in live traffic in the middle of a busy city! To do that as safely and efficiently as possible, we use local traffic management to close down parts of the area two weeks before the event so we can work without disrupting city traffic. We then apply the first coat of paint to the edge lines using a water-based smooth acrylic paint. For accuracy, we use a Graco Linelazer machine.
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Close to one of the main entrances into the Inner City is this portrait of a lion. Numerous other pieces of art, both drawings and sculptures, can be found nearby, as this is where the studio of Azerbaijani artist Ali Shamsi is located.
Born in 1964, Shamsi grew up in a small village at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains where his first canvases were river rocks. After his family moved to Baku, he was placed in a boarding school that provided some art classes. After graduation, he spent some time in Kharkiv, Ukraine painting icons before attending the Azerbaijan State Institute of Arts. He has since exhibited his work in eight countries, including Germany, France, and the U.S.
The Shirvanshahs dynasty lasted from 861 until 1538, making them the longest dynasty in the Islamic world. In the 15th century, Ibrahim I of Shirvan transferred his capital from Shemakha to Baku, and committed himself to constructing a palace. After the Safavid conquest of Baku in 1501, the Safavid dynasty being one of the most significant ruling dynasties in Iran, the palace began to fall into ruin until it was restored in the 20th century.
Our next stop was the museum, located in the main portion of the complex, which had first been constructed in 1411 by Shirvanshah Sheykh Ibrahim I. At one point, there were originally 52 rooms connected by three spiral staircases, among them offices, a reception hall, and living areas.
The museum takes you through some of these rooms, which now focus on various aspects of what life would have been like at this time. There is a focus on art, such as calligraphy and stained glass, as well as displays of the copper utensils, coins, and weapons that were found during archaeological excavations of the palace complex.
According to the Guinness Book of Records, this museum serves as the largest private museum of miniature books in the world. Zarifa Salahova spent over 30 years creating this collection, which consists of more than 6,500 books from 64 different countries. The oldest book in the collection is a copy of the Koran, which was published in Saudi Arabia in the 17th century, while the smallest book (6mm x 9mm) is The Most Miraculous Thing, a Russian novel that can only be read with a magnifying glass.
There are two main myths associated with the tower, the first of which explains its origin. According to this legend, the shah fell in love with his daughter and decided to marry her. The daughter, distraught at the prospect of marrying her father, asked him to build her a tower as a wedding gift. She gave many specific requirements, hoping to delay the wedding, but eventually the tower was completed. After it was ready, the daughter climbed to the very top and jumped into the rocky sea below, committing suicide.
The client was seeking a coating system which was both surface tolerant and fast drying. The underground metro system was cast iron steel, which could not be shutdown or abrasive blasted since it was in operation 365 days a year. After extensive testing by head of Baku Metropolitan Tunnel Authority, Rust Grip was sole specified and painted every night from 1am to 5am when the train system was offline.
In order to stop further damage by severe corrosion to the metal underground structure of the Metro in Baku, a first test project was set up by Superior Products Caspian during first week of April 2014.
The purpose of this pilot test application was to verify the durability and corrosion encapsulation ability of Rust Grip on non-sandblasted heavy corroded dry metal parts in the underground tunnel complex.
Therefore one section, nr.PK 27+33+34, was selected by the Metro.
Rust Grip was applied in 2 layers at average of 250μ DFT on the test patch. Evaluation was made after full curing adhesion and scratch tests. The Metro responsible engineers were pleased with the highly satisfactory results. Full description of this demo application is available upon request.
End of June 2014, decision was made by Mr. Zaur Mir Tofiq oglu Hseynovun, the Chairman from the Baku Metro, after meeting and discussions with J.E. Pritchett, President of Superior Products International II, to continue further applications in the Metro. Contract was concluded between Baku Metropolitan and Superior Products International II to start this encapsulation project with purchase of three 20 foot containers Rust Grip (2660 gallon each). Superior Products Caspian, in coordination with Superior Products Europe, started organizing the purchase of all the necessary materials and equipment in order to carry out this work properly and in safe conditions. In September 2014 the first 20 foot container with 2660 gallon Rust Grip arrived in Baku.
First application training was held between 12 December 2014 till 19 December 2014 under supervision of Superior Products Europe. Purpose was to give training and understanding how Rust Grip must be applied; and to assure that the coating system fully encapsulate all corrosion on dry and sound parts.
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