Ural Tansykbaev

Born Jan. 1 (14), 1904, in Tashkent; died Apr. 18, 1974, in Nukus. Soviet painter. People’s Artist of the USSR (1963); academician of the Academy of Arts of the USSR (1958).

Tansykbaev graduated from the Penza Art School in 1929. Monumental composition characterized even his early works, for example, Nomad Camp (1931, Museum of Art of Eastern Peoples, Moscow). Beginning in the 1940’s, tones played an important role in Tansykbaev’s color scheme, and his works reflected realistic themes. Glorifying the beauty of Soviet Uzbekistan’s countryside, Tansykbaev painted landscapes of great vitality that have a strong feeling for modern life. Notable examples of his works include Native Land (1951, Museum of Art of the Uzbek SSR, Tashkent), Morning at the Kairakkum Hydroelectric Power Plant (1957, Museum of Art of Eastern Peoples, Moscow), and The Charvak Construction Site (1970, Artists’ Union of the USSR, Moscow). The major theme of Tansykbaev’s work is the transformation of nature through man’s activities.

Tansykbaev also worked as a stage designer, creating designs for the first Kazakh ballet, V. V. Velikanov’s Kalkaman and Mamyr (1938, Kazakh Theater of Opera and Ballet, Alma-Ata). He also produced monumental art, for example, the panel in the pavilion of the Uzbek SSR at the Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy of the USSR in Moscow (1952–54). Tansykbaev was awarded the Khamza State Prize of the Uzbek SSR (1973), the Order of Lenin, four other orders, and various medals.