"Warming" of 60’s of last century presented to art of Kazakhstan the whole plead of gifted artists, graphic masters and sculptors. These artists are Kulakhmet Hodzhikov, Yevgeny Sidorokin, Makym Kusamedinov, Isatay Isabayev, Hasen Abayev, Valentin Antoshenko-Olenev, Mikhail Antonyuk, Konstantin Baranov, Nikolay Gayev, Nikolay Ashtema, Shokan Tolesh and sculptures Hakimzhan Nauryzbayev, Anatoly Bilyk, Gunter Hummel, Esken Sergebayev and Erkin Mergenov. They were very famous to all Kazakhstan, they became winner of all-Union exhibitions and their works gained recognition on the largest European symposiums.
Works of these artists and sculptures became classic and replenished gold fund of the fine arts of Kazakhstan. Works of the listed classics are shown in the new opened hall of graphics and sculpture of Astana art gallery. All of them are executed in different techniques and on different subjects. Many works are devoted to history, culture and literature of Kazakhstan.
Among visitors was Bakhytbek Muhametzhanov, one of the first students of professional sculpture of Kazakhstan and founder of Kazakhstan school of sculptures Hakimzhan Nauryzbayev. "Hakimzhan influenced on creation of department of sculpture in art school. I enrolled to Almaty State Theatrical and Art Institute (now it is the Kazakhs National Academy of Arts named after Zhurgenov) on department of sculpture of art faculty where Nauryzbayev taught. He was my research supervisor and was very good teacher" — said sculptor and Professor Bakhytbek Mukhametzhanov.
Hakimzhan Nauryzbayev is an author of more than 300 works, among which well-known monuments to Abay Kunanbayev and Chokan Valikhanov in Almaty. "Nauryzbayev had many works, generally they are big monuments. For example, a monument of Abay in Almaty on intersection of streets of Abay and Dostyk, in my opinion it is the best monument in Kazakhstan set to the poet. Hakimzhan could create an image of Abay, not just simply a portrait. He also has Zhambyl, Auezov and Seyfullin’s sculptures. He generally worked in a portrait genre and these works are very strong" — considers Bakhytbek Mukhametzhanov.
It is the sculpture of famous Anatoly Bilyk — great master and legendary person. Its sculptures are the business card of Karaganda and inseparable from history of construction and development of this city. Anatoly Bilyk together with his spouse arrived to Karaganda from Ukraine when Karaganda was small. Thus, he remained there and his entire life is connected with the miner’s city and Kazakhstan. The monument "Miner’s glory", a monument to metallurgists is only a small part of master’s masterpieces.
A large number of graphic sheets, linocuts and lithographs of the most gifted artists of Kazakhstan is given at the exhibition. Unfortunately, today publishing houses do not need artists-graphist and literature graphics as a genre gradually disappears. Today we could not find such professionals as Sidorkin, Isabayev, Kusamedinov and Abayev.
Yevgeny Sidorkin’s graphic works are very interesting. He came to Kazakhstan, after graduation of the Leningrad Art Institute named after Repin together with the spouse, well-known artist Gulfayrus Ismailova. Having no ideas and experience with Kazakh culture, history and literature, he will create masterpieces as if he was native Kazakh person. Sidorkin found his genre and indeed reached in it perfection. He created images, transmitted spirit and his own vision of the read literary works.
Capacity, expressiveness and figurativeness of vision — all this is handwriting of lithographs of Evgeny Sidorkin. He is the author of illustrations to M. Auezov’s epic novel "Abay", "The Kazakh epos", "National games", to the collection of fairy tales "Cheerful Deceivers" and series "While reading Saken Seyfullin". In more than twenty years of operation as the artist spoke, he illustrated practically all Kazakh legends. According to the artist in twenty years he illustrated practically all Kazakh legends. They are"Kozy-Korpesh and Bayan-Sulu", "Kyz-Zhibek", "Kambar-batyr", "Koblandy", "Ayman-Sholpan" and "Alpamys-batyr".
Makum Kisamedov is another legendary artist. He created a cycle of the graphic works devoted to Makhambet Utemisov. He managed to transfer courageous and at the same time tragic image of the great poet-rebel in graphics. These graphic works were included into the book "My name — Makhambet" devoted to the 200th anniversary of the poet. His series of graphic works devoted to «Faust» by Goethe is brilliant. This work won the highest award at the international competition in Leipzig.
Works of the famous artist Isatay Isabayev are included in the golden fund of fine art. He is an author of more than one thousand easel, graphic and pictorial works which were illustrated hundred his works.
Works of the sculptors and artists-graphist of 60’s of the 20th century are heritage of Kazakhstan’s culture. Having been just created, they became so alive, talented, figurative, comprehended and rich that turned into classical works of national art.
