Monuments of the Great Patriotic War in Azerbaijan: Conservation Issues and Artistic and Aesthetic Interpretation

The paper addresses the topic of monuments and memorials of the Great Patriotic War located in Azerbaijan. The author notes that a large number of memorials dedicated to the memory of fallen compatriots — heroes of the Second World War are concentrated in the cities and towns of the republic. Most of these monuments were erected in the 70s of the past century, especially on the eve of the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the great victory over fascism. Today, like many years ago, these monuments are in good condition, as local authorities are taking care of them. Almost all of them were restored during the years of independence and acquired new artistic and aesthetic qualities. The research deals with memorial complexes, monuments and obelisks located in large cities and regions of Azerbaijan — in Ganja, Sumgait, Lankaran, in Gazakh, Barda, Oguz and other regions. Analyzing these monuments, the author comes to the conclusion that most of them are characterized by the originality of the creative concept, expressiveness and dynamics of the pictorial language, a successful combination of the artistic significance of the compositional solution with its ideological and moral content. Many of them are the best ac39hievements of the monumental fine arts of Azerbaijan to this day.