Rustam Yahikhanov painted A Dance in 2011. He created the work by tempera on canvas. This picture is the central part of the polyptych The Land of My Ancestors which has a total of five grand-scale parts.
There is a young man and a woman In the center of the composition. The couple are dancing on the traditional Chechen felt carpet – ‘istang. Such carpets were made by hand of milled wool and were decorated with national ornaments. “Istangs often served as a dowry for the bride. Perhaps, the artist painted a wedding.
A lot of guests are gathered around the dancing couple. There are young men in the left part of the picture and some girls in the right part. The action takes place against the background of the mountains. All the characters are dressed in national clothes: the women are wearing white dresses and the men are in black and grey burkas (long felt cloaks men wear in the Caucasus) and papakhas (tall Caucasian fur hats). The accordion player is dressed in a dark green chokha (a robe-type overgarment). The boy in the lower right corner stands out among the characters. About 11-13 years old, he is wearing a red chokha and a black papakha. He seems to be unaccustomed to such celebrations, but he looks calm. Among the Caucasian peoples, reticence and seriousness have always been typical even for their young.
Rustam Yahikhanov created A Dance in a monumental painting style. The people”s figures and the mountains in the background are almost devoid of volume. The artist did not seek to detail the faces of his characters. He generalized the shapes of the objects, stylized the silhouettes of the figures and used local colors. Thanks to these techniques, the scene in the picture looks static, although dancing always involves movement. Thus, the artist achieved a symbolic perception of the plot.
Rustam Yakhikhanov captures and preserves the cultural heritage of the Chechen people in his works. He also helps viewers get acquainted with the culture of his native land. The artist once explained that he had been inspired by films Dance - My life and Daimokhk (Our Fathers' Land) directed by Iles Tatayev.
The artist now lives and works in St.-Petersburg. He teaches at pre-enrollment courses to the I.E Repin Academy of Arts.
There is a young man and a woman In the center of the composition. The couple are dancing on the traditional Chechen felt carpet – ‘istang. Such carpets were made by hand of milled wool and were decorated with national ornaments. “Istangs often served as a dowry for the bride. Perhaps, the artist painted a wedding.
A lot of guests are gathered around the dancing couple. There are young men in the left part of the picture and some girls in the right part. The action takes place against the background of the mountains. All the characters are dressed in national clothes: the women are wearing white dresses and the men are in black and grey burkas (long felt cloaks men wear in the Caucasus) and papakhas (tall Caucasian fur hats). The accordion player is dressed in a dark green chokha (a robe-type overgarment). The boy in the lower right corner stands out among the characters. About 11-13 years old, he is wearing a red chokha and a black papakha. He seems to be unaccustomed to such celebrations, but he looks calm. Among the Caucasian peoples, reticence and seriousness have always been typical even for their young.
Rustam Yahikhanov created A Dance in a monumental painting style. The people”s figures and the mountains in the background are almost devoid of volume. The artist did not seek to detail the faces of his characters. He generalized the shapes of the objects, stylized the silhouettes of the figures and used local colors. Thanks to these techniques, the scene in the picture looks static, although dancing always involves movement. Thus, the artist achieved a symbolic perception of the plot.
Rustam Yakhikhanov captures and preserves the cultural heritage of the Chechen people in his works. He also helps viewers get acquainted with the culture of his native land. The artist once explained that he had been inspired by films Dance - My life and Daimokhk (Our Fathers' Land) directed by Iles Tatayev.
The artist now lives and works in St.-Petersburg. He teaches at pre-enrollment courses to the I.E Repin Academy of Arts.
