Davron Toshev
Davron Toshev began painting when he was just five. As a teenager he was apprenticed to his uncle, the sculptor Hamro Zoyirov, but it was always painting rather than the plastic arts that really inspired him. In 1990, his passion led him to a studio in Tashkent where he met the artist who would change his life: Khurshid Nazirov. Nazirov introduced the young Toshev to the world of miniatures, and although he went on to study under several other well-respected specialists, including brilliant miniaturist Shomakhmud Shomukhamedov, Toshev considers Nazirov his main teacher.
Like his medieval colleagues before him, Davron started out copying the works of famous masters, and was particularly drawn to the work of Kamal ud-Din Behzad (1450-1535) with its symbolic use of colour and neat geometry. Bent over his brushes, Toshev immersed himself in the ancient masters’ world of beauty and harmony, familiarising himself with the philosophy behind the illustrations as well as with artistic approaches, and learnt to unlock their mysterious parables and symbols.
But the real turning point came for him in 2010 when he saw original miniatures by Bukhara masters Makhmud Muzahhib, Abdulla and others for the first time. The incredible detail and refinement of their work touched him so deeply he vowed to revive the forgotten traditions of their school.
So, using traditional visual metaphors developed over the centuries together with the techniques of flat composition typical of the medieval Bukhara school, Toshev renounced size and perspective. Instead, he relies on simple artistic devices such as deft yet graceful lines and rich colour combinations enhanced with gold to create amazing miniatures that can take months – sometimes years – to complete. Toshev even uses a special magnifying glass for this incredibly detailed work.
Like the medieval masters before him, Davron is inspired by Eastern poetry and literature, especially by the timeless themes and lively characters of the great Alisher Navoi’s famous works. Toshev’s pictures tell of lovers’ trysts, music and dance, poetry, philosophy, and the harmony we can find in nature.
“Uzbek literature is an infinite, inexhaustible source of inspiration for the world in which I live and which lives in me,” he says. “I try to visually convey the immortal verses of wisdom, love and history.”
But Davron Toshev is certainly not stuck in the past. By subtly introducing new decorative motifs, compositional details or artistic materials such as modern gouache or tempera, he brings a unique contemporary presence and fresh talent to this ancient tradition. Thanks to the fineness of his brushwork, detailed draughtsmanship, lovingly executed ornamental patterns, impeccable taste and inherent sense of harmony, Davron’s pieces are easily identifiable and appreciated by art connoisseurs all over the world. His paintings have been exhibited in Paris, Marseille, Geneva, Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other major cities and are much sought-after by collectors and museums in Russia, France, UK, Turkey and UAE.
5 artworks
5 artworks
