The works of artists tell about Gagauz people – their customs and national culture

I School

The first thing one can see at the main square of Čadır-Lunga is the monument to Lenin. There is a three-story building behind it. Nothing remarkable at first glance. Almost all central squares of small towns in the post-Soviet space look the same. However, it is worth getting inside this building. One’s perception of it immediately changes. The ground floor is full of plaster busts and at the end of the corridor, by the window there is the most important one – the bust of David. The Čadır-Lunga Art School named after Dmitry Erebakan is located in this building.

There is an unremarkable door on the left. This is the Principal’s Office. The cabinet along the wall is piled with books and document folders. Electric kettle is boiling on the desk. We are warmly greeted by Fyodor Duloglo, the former principal of this art school. He was the principal of the school from 1987 to 2020. During this time, he managed to create a stable and creative team.

            From childhood, he loved painting and as a teenager firmly decided that he would dedicate his life to fine arts. In 1975, he completed the graphic designer courses at the Ministry of Culture of the MSSR. After that, he took a job at a district art and design workshop in Čadır-Lunga. Three years later he was invited to teach at an art school. Having worked for two years as a teacher, he realized that his knowledge was not enough for high-quality teaching and decided to enter the Graphic Design Faculty of Odessa State Pedagogical Institute named after K.D Ushinsky. In 1985 he graduated.

Fyodor has been participating in art exhibitions for many years, with his first exhibition in 1978.  It was an exhibition of graphic designers in Bendery Art Gallery. After that there were many exhibitions of different levels – municipal, regional, republican. He took part in exhibitions of Gagauz artists held abroad: in Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Germany and Cyprus. Since 1992, he has been a member of the Union of Artists of Gagauzia and since 2016 a member of the “Gagauz Art” Creative Association. Also, Fyodor Duloglo is known for designing the coat of arms of Gagauzia in 1996.

            The Čadır-Lunga Children’s Art School was opened in 1970 by Dmitry Erebakan. The early years were rather difficult. The greatest challenge was a lack of rooms for classes. The opening of the Children’s Art School was announced but it was not clear where the lessons would be conducted. At the beginning, the children were placed in the community culture center and later a building with three rooms, 14 square meters each, was allocated. But the number of students was increasing and the building could not accommodate all the groups. The parents addressed the Chairman of the Executive Committee and it allocated the second floor of the Community Culture Center.

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Dmitry Erebakan has worked in Čadır-Lunga Children’s Art School for only six years, but thanks to his vigorous and tireless creative activity he is still remembered and honored there. It is no coincidence that the school bears his name. He has done so much to set up all the necessary facilities for the school. There are easels, and special sculpture stands, plaster casts of antique busts and heads. A rich collection of still life objects. Currently the main facilities of the school are those that were created back then. Dmitry Dmitrievich was an excellent teacher, who selflessly and enthusiastically worked with children. And the students returned his love and pleased him with their successes. The students successfully participated in many contests and exhibitions at various levels, starting from municipal up to national and international ones. During vacations, Dmitry Dmitrievich together with his students visited museums and art galleries in Chisinau, Bendery, and Leningrad. This contributed to the aesthetic education of his students.

II Students

         If we talk about Children’s Art school as a stage in the formation of a future artist, it should be noted that it plays a crucial role. Firstly, without the grounds laid by an art school, it is impossible to enter any fine arts educational institution to increase academic knowledge and experience. Secondly, it is during these four or five years of school studies when a child chooses the direction that he likes most of all. There are many directions: painting and graphics, crafts and sculpture, design, which also has many kinds of its own. Students get acquainted with all these types and directions at their lessons in art school.

          Among the school’s first graduates, many noted professionals relate to fine arts. There is Konstantin Kulev, who graduated from Tallinn Academy of Arts (Estonia) and later moved to the United States where he launched art glass production. There is Leonid Karayani, a set designer at Moscow Sovremennik Theatre. There is Alexander Khitsyuk, chief architect of the Čadır-Lunga region. It is worth mentioning Nicholai Croitor, passionate about arts and crafts. He now heads the People’s Craftsmen of Gagauzia Association. But many graduates whose future professions are not related to fine visual arts, continue creative activity and have achieved great success. One of the most outstanding is Konstantin Kelesh, manager of At Prolin horse farm, whose works are known far beyond his region and Moldova.At the farm he breeds Orlov trotters and his love for animals is expressed in his graphic works and fine arts paintings. He has already published four albums of his graphic works. In his paintings he also depicts his favourite horses. The works of Kelesh are known far beyond his region and Moldova. There is also Pavel Kulev, an Afghan war veteran, who connected his life with military service. But even in the war, he found time for his main fascination. Nowadays, as a retired colonel, he has begun to participate in many exhibitions and his works were immediately noticed and appreciated by specialists. The same can be said about another graduate of the school, priest Father Dmitry, Dmitry Kioroglo, who spent all his life serving God in the town of Čadır-Lunga and devoted all his free time to his favorite occupation – painting. He has participated in many regional and republican exhibitions.

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           Among the brightest graduates of the school of our time we can mention Nikolay Kyvyrzhik. He has graduated from Ivanovo Art Academy, majoring in fashion design. While still a student, he participated in the All-Russian student exhibitions of fashion designers and took first places there. After graduation he had internships in Copenhagen (Denmark) and in London (United Kingdom). Later he worked for several years with Russian couturier Vyacheslav Zaitsev. At present, he has his own studio in Moscow and works under his own brand.

It has been a long time since Dmitry Erebakan left Chadir-Lunga, but he has had a great impact, he has passed all his knowledge and skills to his disciples.

concludes Feodor Duloglo

III Modern Gagauz Art

Modern Gagauz art is very diverse. In their paintings, graphics, and other forms of fine art artists tell first and foremost that there are such people as Gagauz with their customs, traditions, with their own national culture. This is also clearly seen in the graphic works and paintings of such artists as Dmitry Savastin and Dmitry Carachoban, whose works have already become a kind of classics of the second half of the 20th century. Gagauz themes are well reflected in the oil paintings, with an interesting stylized technique of our contemporary, Peter Fazla. Also, portraits and landscapes of Mikhail Arabaja, tapestries of Peter Novakov, and Gagauz dolls made by young artist Natalia Vornikova, attract attention of art connoisseurs by their professionalism and Gagauz theme.

            Gagauz art is distinguished primarily in reflecting the surrounding world, the world of people, the nature of its homeland. South Moldova is an arid region covered by the Budjak steppe. This affects the artists’ work. Mainly pastel, subdued shades prevail in their works. Unlike, let us say, paintings of the central or northern part of Moldova, which is dominated by much brighter, coloristic works of artists.

After analyzing the works of Gagauz artists, one can conclude that Gagauz art is characterized primarily by aesthetic form, rather than social subtext. They depict Gagauz customs, traditions and holidays. This is especially evident in the works of Dmitry Savostin, Dmitry Carachoban, Peter Fazla, Mikhail Arabaji, Konstantin Kelesh, and Lidia Papyan.

            The development of art seems very difficult without special educational institutions. Certainly, children’s art school is a key link in this chain. According to the results of the survey among the teachers of Erebakan school, about 20% to 30% graduates choose their future profession related to visual art or architecture. According to Fyodor Duloglo, this is a good result.

            Art as a phenomenon is a reflection of moral health of the society. Socially and economically developed countries usually have well-developed art. It is difficult to say what is the consequence in this matter however, when there is artistic life in the region, it unequivocally benefits from it. There is art in Gagauzia, and it is quite well developed. Largely thanks to people like Fyodor Duloglo and other teachers of children’s art schools. They are the people who develop creative potential of children and introduce them to the world of art, thus satisfying children’s interest in it. They lead them by the hand until the students can continue on by themselves and even then, they do not fall out of the community but become part of it.

            Nevertheless, the world goes ahead, and the society goes ahead as well – new spheres are evolving. Everything requires renewal and development. Fyodor Duloglo shares his vision about the future of Erebakan children’s art school:

We, teachers, see the future of the school primarily in the form of large classrooms. After all, during all 50 years of the school’s existence, the lessons were conducted in premises not adapted for group classes. Now a special building, the School of Arts will be commissioned soon in Čadır-Lunga. It will accommodate an art school, music school and a Youth Center. This is a gift from the President of Azerbaijan to Gagauzia. But unfortunately, the new building will not have enough space for classes and utility rooms. Also, we would like to open a computer graphic class in the lessons of ornamental design. This is a pressing requirement at this time, as design art is in high demand in various areas in the modern world. We also need evening classes for adults. But additional space is required to implement these plans. In the future, we would like to have a separate building adapted for fine arts lessons, similar to the one in the town of Tiraspol.

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            The authorities of the Autonomy should pay more attention to the development of Gagauz art and the needs of artists. Studios should be allocated to artists where they can work. There is an extreme shortage of exhibition space. One picture gallery in Comrat is clearly not enough. It is necessary to open art galleries in Čadır-Lunga and in Vulcanesti as well. An art museum in Comrat is long overdue, since many paintings were left in the gallery after various international forums and are piled useless there.

I am sure that in the future there will be many young, bright artists who will glorify with their works, their small homeland of Gagauzia. And this confidence is well grounded. Because there are so many talented students in our school.

summarised Feodor