Geysar Kashiyeva
Encyclopedia
Geysar Seyfulla qizi Kashiyeva (Azeri
: Qeysər Kaşıyeva) (7 June 1893, Tiflis – 17 April 1972, Baku
) was an Azerbaijan
i painter. She is considered the first professional female painter in Azerbaijani history.
, the capital of Georgia
) to a family of an ethnic Azeri
officer of the Russian Imperial Army. In 1907–1908 she took a course in professional painting at the Caucasus Artistic Society, where she was taught by Oscar Schmerling (who later worked as caricaturist for the Azeri-language magazine Molla Nasraddin
). Her first works were painted in watercolour, pencil, ink, or coal. Those include Goncharov's Portrait (1909), A Muslim Intellectual (1912), Lakeshore (1914), Baba Yaga (1915), etc. She also designed playbill and posters while working at the Muslim Women's Caucasian Benevolent Society. In 1916 she married Colonel Shirin bey Kasamanski, who was undergoing medical treatment in Tiflis after having been wounded in one of the battles during World War I
. He died shortly after the war, in 1919. Their only daughter Layya later became a chemist and died in 1994.
Upon the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
in 1918, Kashiyeva moved to Baku
. After Sovietisation, she gave art lessons and worked as an illustrator
for the magazine Sharg gadini. In the 1930s she married Zulfugar Seyidbeyli, an active member of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan. In 1938 Seyidbeyli was arrested for political reasons and deported along with Kashiyeva from European Russia
. She returned to Azerbaijan in the 1950s and once again engaged in artistic work. She died in 1972, at age 78. Her works are preserved in the Museum of Fine Arts in Baku.
Azerbaijani language
Azerbaijani or Azeri or Torki is a language belonging to the Turkic language family, spoken in southwestern Asia by the Azerbaijani people, primarily in Azerbaijan and northwestern Iran...
: Qeysər Kaşıyeva) (7 June 1893, Tiflis – 17 April 1972, Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
) was an Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
i painter. She is considered the first professional female painter in Azerbaijani history.
Life and contributions
She was born in Tiflis (now TbilisiTbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
, the capital of Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
) to a family of an ethnic Azeri
Azerbaijani people
The Azerbaijanis are a Turkic-speaking people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as in the neighbourhood states, Georgia, Russia and formerly Armenia. Commonly referred to as Azeris or Azerbaijani Turks , they also live in a wider area from the Caucasus to...
officer of the Russian Imperial Army. In 1907–1908 she took a course in professional painting at the Caucasus Artistic Society, where she was taught by Oscar Schmerling (who later worked as caricaturist for the Azeri-language magazine Molla Nasraddin
Molla Nasraddin (magazine)
Molla Nasraddin was an eight-page Azerbaijani satirical periodical published in Tiflis , Tabriz and Baku in the Azeri and occasionally Russian languages...
). Her first works were painted in watercolour, pencil, ink, or coal. Those include Goncharov's Portrait (1909), A Muslim Intellectual (1912), Lakeshore (1914), Baba Yaga (1915), etc. She also designed playbill and posters while working at the Muslim Women's Caucasian Benevolent Society. In 1916 she married Colonel Shirin bey Kasamanski, who was undergoing medical treatment in Tiflis after having been wounded in one of the battles during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He died shortly after the war, in 1919. Their only daughter Layya later became a chemist and died in 1994.
Upon the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was the first successful attempt to establish a democratic and secular republic in the Muslim world . The ADR was founded on May 28, 1918 after the collapse of the Russian Empire that began with the Russian Revolution of 1917 by Azerbaijani National Council in...
in 1918, Kashiyeva moved to Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
. After Sovietisation, she gave art lessons and worked as an illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
for the magazine Sharg gadini. In the 1930s she married Zulfugar Seyidbeyli, an active member of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan. In 1938 Seyidbeyli was arrested for political reasons and deported along with Kashiyeva from European Russia
European Russia
European Russia refers to the western areas of Russia that lie within Europe, comprising roughly 3,960,000 square kilometres , larger in area than India, and spanning across 40% of Europe. Its eastern border is defined by the Ural Mountains and in the south it is defined by the border with...
. She returned to Azerbaijan in the 1950s and once again engaged in artistic work. She died in 1972, at age 78. Her works are preserved in the Museum of Fine Arts in Baku.