New Trends in Herzen's Creativity
While S. Bakashev represents the decorative direction of Kyrgyz painting, Teodor Teodorovich Herzen is distinguished by a narrative type of figurative-plastic thinking. He works in a strictly realistic manner, infusing his images with specific life content.
A landmark work of monumental painting in Kyrgyzstan in the 1960s was T. Herzen's monumental fresco "Rest" (1967) in the foyer of the Ilyich State Farm club in the Kemin district. Here, the main creative principles of the emerging master are evident, who is closer to the traditional principles of monumental painting.
Herzen is primarily concerned with the meaningfulness of his works and the realistic persuasiveness of the artistic form. He tends towards an elaborate narrative in his imagery, precision in drawing based on observational studies, and psychological characterization of characters. The multi-figure composition of the fresco is set against the backdrop of a typical landscape of mountainous Kyrgyzstan. By depicting nature and the majestic, unhurried movements of women dressed in white, playing children, and resting elders, the artist sought to convey the poetry of the rural life he cherished, close to the earth's workers. The fresco creates a lyrical image of Kyrgyzstan, characterized by a festive mood, harmony of human and natural forms, and the purity of blue, golden, and white colors. In its realistically worked form and emotional resonance, the fresco resonates with the best canvases of Kyrgyz easel painting. The ideological and artistic merits of the fresco have been noted in the press: "The fresco 'Rest' is particularly interesting — compositionally coherent and harmonious in color. In it, the artist expressed the balance of the human spirit and the majesty of Kyrgyz nature in a clear and grand form." The fresco "Rest" remains a significant work of Kyrgyz art to this day and is currently the only example of fresco painting in the republic.
T. Herzen was one of the first in Kyrgyzstan to turn to the creation of monumental paintings in industrial interiors. His mosaic "Gymnasts" (1969) transforms one of the workshops of the Frunze Wool and Fabric Combine. Located on the end wall of the interior, it seems to expand its narrow, gloomy space. The theme of sports, youth, the diversity and beauty of movement, and color contrasts bring a cheerful mood to the room, enhance emotional perception, and overcome the monotony of architecture and the production process, thus fulfilling its socio-aesthetic function.
Herzen works extensively and willingly on creating monumental paintings in rural areas. He created the ceramic mosaic "Horsemen" in the foyer of the Son-Kul State Farm club in the Kochkor district (1971), ceramic mosaics in the dining room of the horse farm No. 54 in the Issyk-Kul region (1972), and on the end wall of the secondary school of the Kara-Kol State Farm in the Ak-Suu district (1973). These works are characterized by clarity of the task set, authenticity of the life material underlying the artistic images, and professionalism.
