Azernews.Az

Talented Azerbaijani painters Maryam Alakbarli and Rashad Mehdiyev have been awarded with the Vera fine art prize in Moscow.

``Vera`` (Faith) is the first award in the field of fine arts in Russia.

The presentation ceremony, held in Theatre Et Cetera, was dedicated to the results of the Moscow International Festival of Arts ``Traditions and Contemporaneity``.

President of the Moscow Public Fund of Culture Support and Contemporary Art Development, Vera Kiseleva, said the festival`s aim was to discover new names in modern art, and that the jury elected 22 winners in different nominations.

Chairman of the Presidium of the international fund World for Culture and Peace, Mark Leyvikov, said ``today`s awards would go to the best of the best``.

Artist Alakbarli was honored with a bronze statuette and a diploma for her ``Rose, rose, rose`` art piece in the ``For new view`` nomination.

``Maryam lives with art,`` said Olga Sviblova, curator of Alakbarli at the Moscow Museum of Modern Art. ``Maybe that`s why the message of her painting is so strong and persuasive.``

The visitors compared Maryam`s style to Henri Matisse, a French artist known for his use of color and his fluid and original draughtsmanship.

Rashad Mehdiyev`s award was conferred in the ``For national liberty`` nomination for his work ``Leila``.

The jury praised his works, saying they merge traditional Azerbaijani paintings with innovation.

The international jury of the festival is headed by the People`s Artist of Russia and Azerbaijan, vice-president of the Russian Academy of Arts Tahir Salahov, whose works are also displayed at the festival.