Serenity of Poppy Field, 2024
Delyafruz Bagirova

Azerbaijani artist and teacher, Delyafruz Bagirova (1987) was born and raised in Baku. Surrounded by art from an early age, the painter discovered her passion as a child. Ms.Bagirova enrolled in the Azerbaijan State Academy of Arts in 2004, where she continued her education until 2008. After receiving bachelor's degree in Engineering and Design with honors she received new knowledge in the field of batik. The painter then proceeded to continue her education and in 2012 she received a master's degree in Theater Decor at the Azerbaijani State Art Academy. This was followed by her completing PhD in 2018 and becoming a teacher at the university she graduated from.

Ms.Bagirova is a firm believer in laying a solid foundation for developing one's skills to then be able to start bringing one's personal visions and passion into their art. “Art is a journey and things do not always go according to pl3n" stated the artist. She applies those principles to her teaching methods. This enthusiastic painter and teacher believes that it is her duty to pass the knowledge she holds to the future generations, and this makes her teachings so unique and inspiring.

Never planning the outcome in advance, Ms.Bagirova enjoys drawing anything and everything. “Inspiration comes to me as I am drawing" she claims. Creative explorer's main sources of inspiration are travel, art galleries, museums and nature. The energy she receives from visiting various historical sites, as well as the works of fellow Azerbaijani artists: Takhir Salakhov, Settar Bahlulzade, Mikail Abdullayev and Rasim Babayev. Ms.Bagirova also draws inspiration from the works of Claude Monet, Edourad Monet, Rembrandt, Pissaro, Vincent Van Gogh, Jan van Eyck She states that their works help to feed imagination, as well as expand her own vision of creativity.

Today Delyafruz Bagirova is well known for her breathtaking designs on silk and canvas, as well as her massive contributions to the Azerbaijani Art community. The artist's discipline and drive, as well as genuine desire to express herself were the ultimate factors that resulted in her grand success. A master of modern batik, who works on both hot and cold batik, Ms.Bagirova is undoubtedly distinguished by her individual creativity when it comes to painting. Her passion for researching and innovation contributed to the emergence of the painter's signature style.

Due to her artistic creativity, the works of Delyafruz Bagirova were exhibited at various local and international exhibitions and attracted the attention of the public on numerous occasions. These include: the exhibitions at the “1969" art gallery in Baku, Azerbaijan, Young Artists Exhibition, the Batik Exhibition, the International Art Exhibition in Seoul, South Korea, Russia, Turkey and Georgia. Bagirova's pieces were awarded various certificates and won first place at the “Vera festival" in Moscow. Such success was a great incentive for her future activities.

Among her works are: the triptych "Karabakh Horses" (2.5x70) made of hot and cold batik, which won first place at the competitions in Istanbul and Baku. 

While observing the works of Ms.Bagirova it is rather apparent that one of her favourite colors is blue. The shades of blue add aesthetics to the space and make it easier to differentiate between the shapes reflected in her works. The artist preferes Royal and Sky Blue, as she likes nuanced colors; and in order to convey positive emotions she often opts for colorful paints.

Apart from having color preferences, Ms.Bagirova also enjoys destroying the composition by breaking the symmetry in the batik works. Commenting on the art of batik and her work in this particular area the artist states: “Batik is not only the future. Batik has different techniques. People who are not artists can work in the future, however working with batik requires a lot. Many people think this is easy, however creating a design, creating a sketch... It takes effort." Believing that new creative techniques will appear with the accumulation of experience, the batik master is always critical of her work, and thus she is always keen on making new discoveries.