The reflections of the concept of cultural i̇magery upon Kyrgyz art of painting

The transfer of cultural values to the future through generations can be explained by the profound meanings that the reasons for the existence of these values are of. Cultural values flourish as the components of the materialistic and spiritual elements of various geographic regions where they come to life. They enable the inspiration of their origins to persist as if they defied time, thereby becoming an image. In this context, cultural values are kept alive with images. The world of images, which is assembled by the human mind with an image equivalent to everything existing, preserves its image and makes it meaningful even when the entity cease to exist. Understanding the existence of the past and the art regarding the past is possible by figuring out the cultural codes of the world of expressions shaped by figures, forms, colors, icons, symbols and images. These codes have been expressed by the concept of art and have allowed us to conceive the meaning of the invisible beyond the visible for thousands of years. Today, Kyrgyz culture and art, which is one of the oldest cultures in Central Asia, has many artists who are in an effort to question the existence of past and the art of the past, and, by finding out the cultural codes of the world of expressions formed by images, to represent it universally and contemporarily. Yuristanbek Shigaev, Kanıbekov Davletov, Suyutbek Torobekov, Taalay Kurmanov and Bekten Usubaliev perform their art in an attempt to make the visible and the connections with life beyond them meaningful, by expressing Kyrgyz culture and art with figures, forms, colors, icons, symbols, and images. These artists serve as a bridge for the transfer of culture to the future with the mission they take upon at the educational institutions where they are employed and in the artistic activities they carry out actively. In this context, this study focuses on the symbols and motifs which are in the works of the abovementioned artists and have become images with the cultural values that both the contemporary artists and the previous ones have relied on in the historical development process of Kyrgyz painting. Furthermore, it aims to establish contextual meanings. The icons such as figures of eye, fish, goat, bird, horse, hawk, eagle, tree, sword, arrow, shaman, and sun that can be frequently seen in the works of the artists, as well as rug motifs and images of rural life, old Turkic symbols and inscriptions and the meanings of the stamps which are involved in the traditional handicraft products were explained. Besides, the philosophical discourse and contextual relations in the formation of the works that the artists have enriched with the colors and other plastic elements were interpreted. Keywords:Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyz Culture, Painting, Image, Symbol