114. Eldar Efendiev (Azerbaijan, born 1946)

"Throne of Power." 1990. Acrylic on canvas (canvas stretched on board), artist's monogram and date lower left. Image size . 24½" x 38¼", framed overall . 34" x 47¾".

Eldar Efedief graduated with honors from the Children’s School of Art in Baku, Azerbaijan in 1960 and in 1972 from the State Institute of Art in Lvov, Ukraine. Since 1988 he lives in Mukachevo, Ukraine and works exclusively on his art. Selected exhibitions include: 1984 – Moscow, Russia. National Exhibition, 1986 – Budapest, Hungary. International Exhibition, 1987 – Moscow, Russia. International Exhibition, 1990 – Brussels, Belgium. International Exhibition, 1996 – Malaga, Spain. Exhibition of six Ukrainian Artists, 1997 – Valencia, Spain. Ukrainian Modern Art Exhibition. In the words of Galina Kusko, Art Historian, Ph.D. "The world, in Efediev's view, is hyper-realistic. Form, isolated from its surroundings, fiercely maintains an inner core and asserts itself. Pure, sometimes aggressive color, a clash of tonal contrasts, which earlier conjoined so harmoniously, does not permit one’s consciousness to doze. A master of still-life, he is fascinated by objects, transforming the entire world into a still-life, as though he held it in the palm of his hand. Meticulously executed objects – fruit, flowers, birds, domestic utensils, female figures, clouds, butterflies – swirl and jingle, illuminating the joy of life and a positive energy, of which, it seems, there is not much left in art or in life."