Battle of Kulikovo

Murtuzali Magomedov

A Soviet-era, highly stylized image of battle, this being the 14th century war between the famed Tataro-Mongolian warlord Mamai's Golden Horde and the armies of Prince Dmitry of Moscow. Noted for being the turning point of the Mongol domination of Rus in favor of the latter, it nevertheless was a fierce and deadly skirmish that led the coining of the Russian phrase "kak Mamaj prosjol", which loosely translates to: "it is as if Mamai came through", to describe utter destruction. The battle has long been a popular subject for artists, Russian and otherwise.

Printmaker and graphic artist Murtuzali Magomedov (also: Murtuzali Gadzhievich) was born in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia, on August 18, 1941. He attended the Ivanovo Art School and became a member of the Moscow Union of Artists in 1966; he was also awarded recognition as a People's Artist of the Republic Dagestan in 1976. He worked as the head of the printmaking department at the Moscow branch of the Union of Artists of the USSR beginning at age 25 and remained there for many years, and in 1991 he opened the Murtuz Art Gallery in Moscow.

He is especially known for his highly stylized images of historic Russian battles and other major events, as well as portraits of prominent Russian citizens. He exhibited in over 130 group shows in Russia and abroad, and 16 solo exhibitions in the USSR. His work is held in major collections throughout Russia, including the Volgodonsk Art Museum, Norilsk Museum, and the Dagestan Museum of Fine Arts.

Magomedov died in Moscow in 2018.