Melody of the steppe

Risbek Akhmetov belongs to the 1960s generation of Kazakh artists who moved away from Socialist Realism, and turned instead to ancient Kazakh artistic traditions for inspiration. As such, they were crucial in Kazakhstan's cultural development and played a crucial role in the creation of a sense of national self-identity. While studying at the Tashkent Arts and Theatre Institute of A. N. Ostrovskii, Akhmetov conceived his series of monumental sculptures depicting tales from folklore and historical figures from Central Asia which were designed to engage the viewer. In Chaban with a flute, a musician is seated on a camel surrounded by sheep who themselves provide seats for the viewer. As part of this project, Akhmetov produced a series of small-scale terracotta models depicting scenes of the everyday life of the nomadic people, inspired by Kazakh folklore.

In Melody of the steppe, the figure of the musician and the horse belie the artist's characteristic stylisation and simplification of form. According to the artist, the lack of detail and strong characterisation of the figure is designed to encourage the viewer to finish the sculpture in their own mind, thereby 'creating' alongside the artist. The choice of medium was also informed by the artist's search for simplicity and his desire to create art for the people: for the sculptor terracotta revealed the warmth of the sun which he wanted to share. Works by Risbek Akhmetov form are held in the collections of the State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow and the Kasteev State Museum of Arts, Almaty.