Chechen art is the historical and present art form representing

Chechnya Chechnya, officially the Chechen Republic, is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia. It is situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. The republic forms a part of the North Caucasian Federa ...

or the Chechen Republic. This type of art is a part of Chechnya's tangible cultural heritage, showing its deep history. Being formed centuries ago, Chechen art has been dated back to the Early

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

. Chechens have used art to express their culture, beliefs, customs, and history. An important message shown in this art are Chechen religious beliefs, especially in their rituals and legends. Like in many other ancient cultures, Chechen decor is shown with symbols idealizing their everyday life and roles, such as hunting, farming, and religious rituals.

History

Whether looking at Chechen art in the

or the present, there is still a strong Eastern influence with other groups, including

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

and

Russians Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...

. In the era of the early Bronze Age, Chechen artifacts found were pottery, ceramics, obviously, bronze and metal objects. Chechen people would carve symbols in these ceramics and pottery, mainly of animals which were then used in rituals. Other works of carving symbols was done in the late Bronze Age to the late

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

. Painting hadn't taken much place in Chechen art until 1917. With all the beautiful and vast forms of art this culture had created, many were displayed in the

Grozny Museum Grozny (, ; ) is the capital city of Chechnya, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the 2021 census, it had a population of 328,533 — up from 210,720 recorded in the 2002 census, but still less than the 399,688 re ...

, having a total of 3,270 works and 950 paintings. After the

First Chechen War The First Chechen War, also referred to as the First Russo-Chechen War, was a struggle for independence waged by the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria against the invading Russia, Russian Federation from 1994 to 1996. After a mutually agreed on treaty ...

, with the bombing of

Grozny Grozny (, ; ) is the capital city of Chechnya, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the 2021 Russian census, 2021 census, it had a population of 328,533 — up from 210,720 recorded in the 2002 Russian Census, 2002 ce ...

in 1995, most of the Chechen art within the museum was destroyed, with only 100 paintings saved. Since then, many artists and historians are trying to restore many of these paintings, and making exhibits for them in Moscow. With a country full of history, culture and war, it is resembled in Chechen art.

Gallery

Young Widow.png, Chechen artist Arbi Rassukhanov. Widow, 1985. Vladimir Vysotsky.png, Chechen artist Lechi Abaev.

Vladimir Vysotsky Vladimir Semyonovich Vysotsky (25 January 193825 July 1980) was a Soviet singer-songwriter, poet, and actor who had an immense and enduring effect on Soviet culture. He became widely known for his unique singing style and for his lyrics, which ...

, 1985

Chechen artists

Pyotr Zakharov was the first famous painter in Chechen art, being very popular within the 1800s. He became popular for his work in self portraits, painting many celebrities in

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

, Russia. Another famous Chechen artist is Amandi Asukhanov, being known for his painting landscapes in the late 1900s. Lastly, Zamir Yushayev, who is a more recent painter of Chechen art. He specializes in several media, but mainly painting and oil, and is also a cartoonist.

References

{{reflist Culture of Chechnya Russian art