Usto-Mumin (Nikolaev Alexander)
August 30, 1897 - June 27, 1957
In the years 1908-1916 Alexander Nikolayev studied in Sumy near Poltava Cadet Corps, then in Ulanski case in Tver. In 1918 he visited the studio of artist A. Buchkuri in Voronezh. In 1919, continued art education in II-X of the State Free Art Workshops at Kazimir Malevich in Moscow. In the same year was called up to the front. After demobilization in 1920, Nikolayev sent to Tashkent on the mandate of the commission TurkTsIKa (Turkestan Central Executive Committee) for the strengthening and development of arts and culture in Central Asia. Nikolayev was conquered by the East. He is deeply and seriously studying the culture of the East. Traditions, folk life, folk crafts, nature of Uzbekistan lifelong always inspired artists and influenced all his work. After the adoption of Islam artist received a new name Usto-Mumin, which means - Master.
In his works went through a fascination Suprematism (late 1910-s - early 1920), in mid-1920's turned to figurative painting. Been influenced by the traditional Central Asian art: the portrait miniature ornament. He painted landscapes, portraits and genre scenes.
During the main artist of the Uzbek pavilion at VSHV (All-Union Agricultural Exhibition) in Moscow in 1938, Nicholas was suddenly arrested and imprisoned. Initially, in prison he was not allowed to paint, that was the artist of this tragedy. But already in 1943, Nicholas received a Certificate of Merit CEC (Central Executive Committee) of the Uzbek SSR for participation in the creation of Uighur theater. In adulthood Nikolaev was active, creative and social work.
The exhibit at the exhibition "Old Samarkand in Samarkand (1924, with VI Ufimtsev), an art exhibition in Astrakhan (1924), the commemorative exhibition of art of the USSR in Moscow (1927), 1 st exhibition of paintings of the Tashkent branch of AHRR Tashkent (1928) and others.
In 2006 in Tashkent hosted a retrospective exhibition of the artist.
Artworks Usto-Mumin are a number of museum collections, including the State Museum of Oriental Art, State Tretyakov Gallery, Karakalpak State Museum of Arts. Savitskiy in Nukus, the State Museum of Arts of Uzbekistan in Tashkent and others.
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Work to Asian period Usto Mumin we do not know, we know only that he was heavily infected Suprematism. However, having arrived in Turkestan, the artist once and forever change the "paradigm": the place of abstract geometry is "green world". This metamorphosis is not very typical of Central Asian artists of the avant-garde: the same Volkov, returning to Central Asia from St. Petersburg for a long time was under the obvious influence of the techniques learned in the Russian and Western painting. Apparently, the visit to Central Asia was linked to Mumin with some strong emotional event, which has contributed so decisively change.
From the work of Boris Chuhovicha "Friendship, love, eternity ..." Usto Mumin ».
Pictures at an Exhibition: