Anar Huseynzada on Absheron, Self-Reflection and the Human Nature

Over the course of a long and rich artistic practice, Azerbaijani artist Anar Huseynzada has developed a visual language that interrogates the human experience through a lens both intimate and universal. Known for his evocative portraits and landscapes, Huseynzada’s use of paint has grown out of an aspiration to excavate the layers of identity and transformation. “I used to think literature influenced my creativity”, Huseynzada says, recalling his early work. “I was engraving the books I had read. But with time, I realized nature was my true muse. And I still am inspired by it, but human nature is what makes me contemplate on deeper levels”. 

This pivot towards the human soul - its beauty, contradictions, and inevitable metamorphoses - has come to define a very expressive body of work. In many ways, Huseynzada paints to trace the contours of his own becoming. “We think we know ourselves”, he reflects, “but then certain events take place. Fully discovering oneself is an incredibly difficult task”. 

F.G.: Your art is deeply rooted in the exploration of the human soul. Could you share more about this?

A.H.: 

I understand that, for me, the most fascinating thing in the world is human nature. In fact, not just for me, but in the universe we know, in the world we know. And I feel like I want to study people. In my work, the evolution of my characters reflects my own transformation. At 40, I see myself differently than at 30. At 30, you think you know yourself – this is who I am, this is my heart, these are my boundaries. But then certain events take place, certain experiences occur. That’s when you realize that human existence is so deep that the more you dive in, the deeper it gets.

At the center of his imagery - both literally and spiritually - is Absheron, the sunlit peninsula that arcs into the Caspian Sea, where Huseynzada was born and raised. His acclaimed Tale of Absheron series spotlights this significance within the broader frame of his practice. Showcased in Luxembourg, Vienna, Strasbourg, and Baku, the works offer a singular vision of this landscape. The vivid palette and the landscape-caricature style echo the figurative richness of his portraiture. Timeless images, features, and faces that, for Huseynzada, are inseparable from the willful spirit and power of the steppe.

F.G.: Absheron plays a crucial role in your artistic practice, but what makes it stand out in your perspective?

A.H.: 

‘Why Absheron’?

First, I was born in Absheron, I grew up and matured there. I am nurtured by its water, air, sea, and its sandy hills. Painting Absheron is natural to me – I paint what I have seen.

But on a deeper, spiritual level, Absheron has a mystical nature. For example, the water is scarce, trees struggle to grow there: they must fight against the winds, and the harsh sun. That’s why you won’t find tall plane trees in Absheron, but rather intertwined fig trees and mulberries. In a fertile place – let’s say, a meadow – when it rains, all the flowers bloom. How beautiful! Both strong and weak flowers thrive there.

But then there’s another kind of flower – one that breaks through asphalt, that pushes through stone. A single flower emerging from thousands of rocks. This is what you witness in Absheron - it has a spirit of struggle, a spirit of battle.

This ethos - of beauty forged in resistance - resonates through many of the figures depicted by the artist. Displaced from any specific geography, they represent Absheron as a state of mind, a way of seeing. Whether he paints a Romanesque figure or scenes that allude to Christian iconography, the artist resists the suggestion that these are departures from his cultural terrain. “Absheron is an idea”, he says, “a space that makes you think”.