Trescheva S.P.
Senior Researcher
CSPE "The Local History museum of Temirtau City"
This year marks the 120th anniversary of the Abylkhan Kasteev’s birth. He can rightfully be called a national artist.
Abylkhan was born into a poor family of a Kazakh cattle breeder, lost his father early, experienced poverty and the severity of forced labor, working as a shepherd. But he was interested in painting. He depicted his first drawings on a flat stone tile, on a piece of paper.
In 1927, A. Kasteev was on the construction of Turksib. He continues to draw. He draws a lot as he sees and as best he can, without even knowing about artists or the opportunity to learn professional literacy. His penchant for drawing was noticed by the management of the construction site, and the talented guy was sent to study in Alma-Ata city.
Realist- artist Nikolai Khludov was working in the city at that time. In his studio, Abylkhan received his first knowledge and skills in painting, working with paints and canvases, and became acquainted with the works of the classics. And this finally determined his fate. He makes a decisive choice - to be an artist.
Abylkhan Kasteev was sent to study in Moscow twice, but circumstances did not allow him to receive a professional education in the capital. He really regretted it. Although you can’t call him an amateur. Abylkhan was very talented and hardworking. Returning to Alma-Ata city, he begins to work as an artist.
The best achievement of A. Kasteev in his early work was a portrait. The works he created in this genre demonstrate the artist’s high skill. They show not only the similarity with the original, but also the depth of penetration into the inner world of the characters depicted. A little later, the subject matter of the paintings expanded significantly. He creates canvases on historical themes and genre paintings. His works reveal a love of nature, respect for people close to his heart, and an interest in the simple facts of human life.
In 1937 he was accepted as a member of the Union of Artists. And in 1942, Abylkhan’s first personal exhibition was held in Alma-Ata city. All his art was national in spirit, content and worldview, so already in 1944 he was awarded the title “People’s Artist of the KazSSR.”
A. Kasteev is one of those artists who is used to paint pictures with a real plot. He traveled a lot, made sketches and plot sketches. In 1956-1960, the artist created a series of watercolors “On the Land of Kazakhstan”. This series includes the painting “Dam in Temirtau city”, which is especially close to Temirtau residents, as it is devoted to our city. This is an industrial landscape with a dam looming in the foreground, and in the distance a metallurgical plant and the shaky surface of the Samarkand water reservoir- such close and recognizable places for Temirtau city’s residents.
During his life A. Kasteev created many works. His art developed continuously. It is perhaps impossible to single out moments in his life when he was in a state of creative pause. He had an amazing work ethic. Now the works of A. Kasteev are collected in the art museum named after him. He is a unique personality, a talented artist who has made a huge contribution to the development of Kazakh fine art.
