Preview

Observatory of Culture

Advanced search
Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Memory and Archetype in the Works of Hamid Savkuev

https://doi.org/10.25281/2072-3156-2025-22-5-515-525

Abstract

The article examines the metaphors of special symbols and commentary in the works of the contemporary artist Hamid Savkuev and analyzes how they construct the deeper meanings of his works. The question of the language of modern art is considered in the context of its combination with the traditional language. Special symbols related to culture, history, tradition, education and nature used by the author in his works are studied. Their specificity, role and significance in art, traditional and modern culture are revealed. Savkuev is an artist who has been intensively creating in recent years, and the article analyzes the hidden images and commentary of his works using a combination of practical and theoretical approaches. The author traces the work of H. Savkuev, who builds the artistic language and meaning of his works in four directions: the traditional folk art of Kabardino-Balkaria, the Nart epic, religion and philosophy. The artist, possessing a unique style and boundless imagination, rethinks the value of traditional art. His works are not only visual presentations, but also a meeting of emotions and thoughts, demonstrating a deep understanding and exploration of art. H. Savkuev strives to combine academic art and modern thinking, while preserving traditions and presenting a richer and more diverse artistic image. He boldly explores and rethinks its content, thereby opening up new creative directions and spaces for reflection in the context of an ever-changing time, paying tribute to tradition, but also shaping the perspective of art development.

About the Author

Jing Wang
St. Petersburg State University
Russian Federation

5 Mendeleevskaya Liniya, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia

ORCID 0009-0000-1960-6297



References

1. Gracheva S.M. Boundaries and Horizons of Realism in the Contemporary Painting of St. Petersburg, Aktual’nye problemy teorii i istorii iskusstva [Actual Problems of Theory and History of Art], 2020, no. 10, pp. 535—544. DOI: 10.18688/aa200-3-47 (in Russ.).

2. Gracheva S.M. Key Trends of the Modern Academic Art of St. Petersburg, Vestnik Rossiiskogo fonda fundamental’nykh issledovanii. Gumanitarnye i obshchestvennye nauki [Russian Foundation for Basic Research Journal. Humanities and Social Sciences], 2017, no. 2, pp. 129—142 (in Russ.).

3. Ermishin O.T. Aesthetics and Conceptions of Creativity in the Philosophy of Russia Abroad, Filosofskii polilog [Philosophical Polylogue], 2022, no. 1, pp. 21—32 (in Russ.).

4. Khabakhu A.G. Traditions and Innovation of the Early 20th — Century Art, Vestnik Adygeiskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seriya 2: Filologiya i iskusstvovedenie [Bulletin of Adyghe State University. Series: Philology and Art Criticisms], 2016, no. 3, pp. 241—246 (in Russ.).

5. Bazieva G.D. Modern Artistic Text: Between Traditions and Innovations, Vestnik Instituta gumanitarnykh issledovanii Pravitel’stva Kabardino-Balkarskoi Respubliki i Kabardino-Balkarskogo nauchnogo tsentra Rossiiskoi akademii nauk [Bulletin of the Kabardian-Balkarian Institute for the Humanities Research], 2015, no. 2, pp. 68—73 (in Russ.).

6. Appaeva Zh.M. Ethnic Refractions in Monumental Sculpture of Kabardino-Balkaria, Novoe iskusstvoznanie. Istoriya, teoriya i filosofiya iskusstva [New Art Studies. History, Theory and Philosophy of Art], 2019, no. 3, pp. 126—131. DOI: 10.24411/2658-3437-2019-13018 (in Russ.).

7. Bazieva G.D. Traditional Art and Modern Art Culture, Sovremennye nauchnye issledovaniya i razrabotki [Modern Scientific Research and Development], 2018, no. 10, pp. 146—148 (in Russ.).

8. Gryakalov A.A. Aesthetics of the Event: Reflection and the Subject-Witness (to the Question of the Aesthetic Turn), Filosofskii polilog [Philosophical Polylogue], 2023, no. 2, pp. 160—184. DOI: 10.31119/phlog.2023.2.213 (in Russ.).

9. Suleimanova F.Kh. North Caucasus as the Basis for the Artistic Images in the Contemporary Visual Arts of the Adygheans, Geografiya iskusstva: Prostranstvo, podchinennoe stilyu: sbornik statei [The Geography of Art: Space Subjected to Style: collected articles]. Moscow, Institut Kino i Televideniya Publ., 2021, pp. 158—169 (in Russ.).

10. Balash A.N. Poetics of Myth in Contemporary Academic Fine Arts: Graphic Works by Khamid Savkuev for Vasily Livanov’s Novel “Agnia, Daughter of Agnia. The Legend of the Scythians”, Materialy po arkheologii i istorii antichnogo i srednevekovogo Prichernomor’ya [Proceedings in Archaeology and History of Ancient and Medieval Black Sea Region], 2020, no. 12, pp. 1017—1035. DOI: 10.24411/2713-2021-2020-00031 (in Russ.).

11. Artamoshkina L.E., Kirshin V.A. Image in Culture: The Silver Age as a “Place of Memory”, Filosofskii polilog [Philosophical Polylogue], 2023, no. 1 (13), pp. 155—172. DOI: 10.31119/phlog.2023.1.198 (in Russ.).

12. Bazieva G.D. East and West in the Multi-Ethnic Space of Russia, Vestnik Chelyabinskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta [Bulletin of Chelyabinsk State University], 2007, no. 16, pp. 98—106 (in Russ.).

13. Gracheva S.M. Sovremennoe peterburgskoe akademicheskoe izobrazitel’noe iskusstvo. Traditsii, sostoyanie i trendy razvitiya [Contemporary Petersburg Academic Fine Arts. Traditions, State and Development Trends]. Moscow, BuksMArt Publ., 2019, 367 p.

14. Romanovskaya A.A. Linguistic Characteristics of the Ancient Symbol as a Special Language Sign, Semanticheskii potentsial yazykovykh edinits i ego realizatsiya: tezisy dokladov Mezhdunarodnoi nauchnoi konferentsii (Minsk, 20—21 oktyabrya 2021 g.) [Semantic Potential of Linguistic Units and Its Realization: Abstracts of Reports of the International Scientific Conference (Minsk, October 20—21, 2021)]. Minsk, Minskii Gosudarstvennyi Lingvisticheskii Universitet Publ., 2021, pp. 52—54 (in Russ.).

15. Maksimenko L.A. Time in Culture Through the Lens of Prospect Theory, Vestnik Yuzhno-Ural’skogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seriya: Sotsial’no-gumanitarnye nauki [Bulletin of the South Ural State University. Series: Social Sciences and the Humanities], 2011, issue 16, no. 9, pp. 143—149 (in Russ.).

16. Krapivina N. (ed.) Khamid Savkuev. Zhivopis’, grafika, skul’ptura [Hamid Savkuev. Painting, Drawing, Sculpture]. St. Petersburg, Artindex Publ., 2009, 157 p.

17. Kuteinikova N.S. The Zoomorphic Images at Hamid Savkuev’s Works, Nauchnye Trudy [Scientific Papers], 2013, no. 26, pp. 61—68 (in Russ.).

18. Grishanova E.V. Natural Existence as an Object of Aesthetic Transformation, Ehkonomicheskie i sotsial’no-gumanitarnye issledovaniya [Economic and Social Research], 2024, no. 2, pp. 111—120. DOI: 10.24151/2409-1073-2024-2-111-120 (in Russ.).

19. Turchinskaya E.Yu. Leningrad-Petersburg School of Painting: Tradition as a Criterion of Modernity, Peterburgskie iskusstvovedcheskie tetrad [St. Petersburg Art History Notebooks], 2022, no. 72, pp. 55—63 (in Russ.).

20. Sasikova M. To See Infinity in the Small. Hamid Savkuev Turned 60, MIR 24: Mezhgosudarstvennaya teleradiokompaniya [MIR 24: Interstate TV and Radio Company]. Available at: https://mir24.tv/articles/16599621/v-malom-uvidet-beskonechnost-hamidu-savkuevu-60 (accessed 27.05.2025) (in Russ.).


  • 1. The profound appeal of artistic works lies in their subtext; systematic analysis allows us to recognize the metaphors underlying them.
  • Hamid Savkuev is one of the most prolific artists in 21st-century Russia; analyzing his work is of paramount importance.
  • Savkuev's work not only engages in a dialogue with classical art but also serves as a bridge to contemporary art.

Review

For citations:


Wang J. Memory and Archetype in the Works of Hamid Savkuev. Observatory of Culture. 2025;22(5):515-525. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.25281/2072-3156-2025-22-5-515-525

Views: 56


ISSN 2072-3156 (Print)
ISSN 2588-0047 (Online)