Infinity of creativity: the craftsmanship’s secret from a Turkmen wood sculptor
He was born in Mary, a very long time ago, and he does not remember an exact date, just says that his year is his “wealth”. Amanmuhammed Hydyrov, a painter and wood sculptor, spent most of his life in the workshop working, and the master creates not only sculptures.
“When I work with wood, I inhale this incomparable aroma of freshly cut wood, which inspire me. Then, the stories from life, memories of the past, along with the design and form of the image, come to my mind immediately. It all create a poetic motive of sculpture,” Amanmuhammed explains.
In 1962, he arrived in Ashgabat to enroll the art school, and since that time, the career of Hydyrov have been promoted. Having desire to be advanced in the chosen profession, he went to Moscow and graduated from the Moscow State Stroganov Academy of Design and Applied Arts (Stroganov School), the department of artistic processing of metal and wood.
- The invaluable student years gave me a lot of knowledge, based on which I began to explore art, as such. At first, I was carried away by the history of carpet weaving, as the intricate patterns of carpets have something mysterious. Later, the circle of interests became wider. As a result, based on my research, I am an author of five books.
“The Mysterious World of Art” tutorial is one of the last scientific works of Amanmuhammed Hydyrov. In a textbook intended for students of art schools, the master offers his own principle of working on creating a composition. Hydyrov’s method is “infinity of creativity”. That is, the process of observing the environment is able to give rise to more and more new works of art.
In 2017, for this scientific work, the Institute for the History of Peoples of Central Asia named after Mahpirat awarded the author the title of Honorary Academician of Uzbekistan.
- Human perception is based on the perception of natural beauty. Contemplating the beauty of the nature, a person absorbs all the best into himself, develops this beauty in his mind, and then displays it in art. No need to invent anything sophisticated – the keen eye of the artist immediately reads images of nature that are same with creativity. I look at the dragonfly and see its geometric shapes, and then create an ornament of a living creature on a piece of paper. Many jewelry are made using this way.
The sculptor creates the images of famous people from memory, operating only with his memories. The wooden sculpture of the Turkmen composer Nury Halmamedov, which he created in the shortest possible time, as if “driven” by sudden inspiration, is of special meaning for the master. The root of a tree cut down by someone, as if by magic, turned into a figure of a musician.
The wise old man Amanmuhammed Hydyrov finds the meaning of life in a labor only. Many parks in Ashgabat are decorated with wood and plaster sculptures made by him, as well as his works are exhibited in some museums abroad. The master continues to share his knowledge with aspiring artists today. He teaches at the Ashgabat School of Art and always looks for a something new, as creativity is, indeed, endless.
