10/11: Back to Tashkent: State Art Museum & Russian Orthodox Cathedral

Our kind hotel owner, wearing the traditional Samarkand coat cum dressing gown we'd seen in the nearby Urgut Bazaar the day before, made sure to get up bright and early to see us off for our flight back to Tashkent, the nation's capital, after presenting us with a lovely plate.

It was amusing to hear the taxi driver on the way to the airport keep saying, "Samarkand, good," and giving his city a thumbs up and giving a thumbs down to all the other cities we'd been to in his Uzbekistan homeland. When I mentioned I was from Canada, he made a slapping motion with his wrist to imitate playing hockey. I have gotten the distinct impression that all anyone in this part of the world knows about Canada is our love for hockey. Oh well, it could be worse, right!

Our 45 minute flight was only a third full and cost less than $50 for both of us. We found out later that it was cheaper to fly than take the train which seemed crazy. 

We had spent quite a bit of time in Tashkent two weeks earlier before visiting the rest of Uzbekistan so just wanted to see a couple of places our last day in the country. The first, as you might have guessed if you took a sneak peak of the photo below, was the State Museum of Arts of Uzbekistan, which we reached by metro for the paltry sum of just .14 each. Admission fees to Uzbek museums were extraordinarily cheap but they made up for it in pretty exorbitant camera fees, we noticed.

After being wowed by the most magnificent architecture and the mosaic-tiled mosques, madrassas and mausoleums in Central Asia while exploring the Silk Road cities of Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand, it was a little bit underwhelming seeing the art on display at the State Museum. We had to readjust our expectations somewhat as it would be almost impossible to surpass what we had just seen in the last couple of weeks.

While I was looking at some of the exhibits, this Uzbek TV reporter came up and asked me in fractured English if she could interview me. I was a little taken aback but agreed thinking it would be a lark. She asked about my experiences in Uzbekistan and I talked about the importance of art in the country's culture. Where was my makeup artist, I jokingly thought to myself when I needed one so badly!

One of the most unusual pieces of 'art' we've ever come across was a small yurt within which was what I could only label a sound system called the 64 Addresses. The American artist/sound man, Isaac Sullivan, below right, "incorporated drawings, collages and prints on aluminium as forms of citation." He used "field recordings and text-to-speech software to imagine the speaker as an artificial intelligence unfolding into being through its dictation of digitally mediated imagery." I read it twice and still didn't know what he was talking about!

The loud, discordant sounds weren't pleasant to my ear, especially since they could be heard in many parts of the museum. Perhaps if I understood it better, I would have appreciated it but its art escaped me altogether. Quite a crowd of what seemed to be adoring fans gathered around Sullivan, however.

I could far more easily relate to the lovely, intricately carved lattice screen and other assorted wood pieces.

The six and eight sided painted tables from the early 20th century were quite beautiful.

There was a large display of ornate skull caps from the 19th and 20 centuries that drew my eye.

I recommend you click on this painting by Ibrahim Valihodzhaev so you can see it more closely. When you do, you'll notice all the images except for three are upside down or sideways! What an intriguing way to look at a piece of art but exhausting, too. 

Another of his paintings: Without a doubt, it was the tiniest painting I'd ever seen on a huge wall!

On the opposite wall was a long row of the same artist's vibrant , naive paintings that I was really struck by even though I normally prefer something more subdued.

In detail:

The exhibits of traditional Uzbek clothing and textiles known as suzanis were just wonderful.

I cannot begin to imagine the effort and talent needed to make such a lovely piece of art that was made in Bukhara in the 19th century. 

Aren't the embroidered skull caps gorgeous? I saw a number of Asian women wear ones just like these although I never saw Uzbek men wear any but black ones.

The traditional men's and women's robes from the 19th century looked magnificent. Sorry for the glare from the glass in the following photos.  

Look at the detailed exquisite, silver needlework on the late 19th century velvet belt.

The Emir's horse blanket from 1911:

It was neat seeing the round shield and the chain armor from the 18th century. 

I wondered how heavy these late 19th century silver and bead hair decorations were, when they would have been worn and especially how long!

Imagine the weight of these silver earrings in your ears!

Just like these Asian women were being photographed by a still cameraman, I was also several minutes earlier in the same room while examining the lovely robes. I could see why the reporter possibly nabbed me earlier but had no idea why these women and I were being photographed for several minutes. He shot photos of me taking notes for this post!

Copper pieces with rugs in the background were the focus of another gallery. 

Having just come from Samarkand that morning, the memory of seeing Bibi Khanum Mosque a couple of days ago was still fresh in my mind when I saw this oil painting of the mosque done in the late 19th century. 

Likewise, this painting of the Lyab-i-Hauz or pool brought back wonderful memories of our first day in Bukhara when we spent time right in front of it!

I was amused when I saw this 1870 oil painting was called Catholic Priest.

Steven and I always go through museums at different speeds but when we crossed paths in one of the galleries, we remarked ow much of a surprise the museum was with a marvelous collection of a little bit of everything. We certainly hadn't expected much when we entered and were vastly more entertained here than the disappointing Savitsky Collection we'd traveled all the way to Nukus in far off northwestern part of the country to view. 

The 19th century inlaid ivory desk and chairs from Russia was sublime. 

The photographers must have been pretty hard up that day as I was again photographed admiring this painting of birch trees as I thought of my home in Ottawa, Canada, looking at this!

Who can help smiling looking at this Sleeping Peasants painting?!

Uzbek Girls at Lunch was another attractive painting in my mind. 

As much as I really enjoyed so many of the paintings and other art, it was a tremendous shame seeing how the works were displayed. The lighting in virtually all the galleries was very poor, often the frames were likewise of inferior quality and the works were all shown on temporary, movable walls that were all off white, unlike any top national gallery.  

However, nowhere else would be fortunate to see this type of art.

I would be interested to know what the artist intended with these sheets of white paper spread out all over the floor and what persuaded the museum to acquire this art as it made absolutely no sense to me.

I was in 'heaven' after that seeing the Russian icons from the 17th century - they were striking. 

What a shame that no one knew the painter of the 19th century Saints' Life Story.

Steven and I have been very fortunate seeing some incredible icons in galleries and museums in many countries including Russia but I can't remember ever seeing one done in pastel shades before. This late 19th century one was called Thanksgiving.

On another floor was a delightful collection of felt tip pen paintings or should I call them drawings by Nadejda Kashina, Ivy? Update from my friend, Ivy, an artist home in Denver: These are drawings, not paintings.

As if the museum's collection wasn't already broad enough, it also included clothing, paintings and items from Asia, unlike any other museum we'd seen in any of the other 'stan' countries!

This early 20th century work was made of wood, lacquer and mother-of-pearl. 

The Statuettes of the Three Immortals of Daos Cult were made from carved ivory and wood in the 20th century.

As I commented earlier, the Tashkent State Art Museum turned out to be quite a find in our minds and one where we happily spent a few hours because of its vast collection of art in its many forms. It wasn't on a par with its European counterparts but it was by far the best of any we'd seen to date in Central Asia.

After finding a bench in a park behind the museum, we enjoyed the sun for the first time in days for over an hour before walking over a mile to the Holy Assumption Russian Orthodox Cathedral. It was built in 1871 and enlarged in the 1990s with the bell tower added in 2010.

For some reason that I've never known, photography at most Russian Orthodox churches is forbidden so I was only able to take these exterior shots when the guard wasn't looking. I think they show, though, the beauty of the church that was used as a military depot during the Soviet era.

If you've followed some of the many posts I've written about our extended visit to Uzbekistan, you'll recount how much we loved so much about the country: the incredible Mizdakhan Necropolis in far off Nukus, our first look at the superb religious architecture in the Silk Road city of Khiva and then more fabulous museums, mosques and minarets in Bukhara until the ultimate in Timurid architecture with the Registan and Shah-i-Zindah complexes in Samarkand and many very enjoyable places in the country's capital of Tashkent. I shan't forget the kindness of the Uzbek people, the delicious food we ate, the wonderful markets in every city, the incredible choice of beautiful handmade souvenir, and being able to explore a country not yet mobbed by other tourists. Being able to enjoy all of the above very inexpensively only added to its allure. If you ever want to go somewhere a little bit different and not have to spend a fortune while there, I heartily recommend a trip to unusual Uzbekistan!

Next post: Onto Shymkent, Kazakhstan.

Posted on November 8th, 2018, from Salamanca, Spain.