Talat Agalar oglI Shikhaliyev (1928 - 1987) a preeminent Azerbaijani painter was born in Masalli district of Azerbaijan Republic. After graduating un 1960 from the State Institute of Arts, Kiev, Ukraine he returned to Baku and in 1964 become a member of Artist Union of USSR. He is participant in numerous local, state and international exhibitions. His first solo show was held at the Gallery of the Artist Union of Azerbaijan in 1976. In 1980 he had his solo show in Moscow at the Central House of Artist exhibition complex on “Krimskiy Val” . His solo shows in 1993 and 2008, were held at the gallery of the Artists Union of Azerbaijan and in 2014 at the National Art Museum of Azerbaijan. His works are part of public in Azerbaijan, Turkey, Germany and Russia including National Art Museum of Azerbaijan, Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan, State Tretyakov Gallery Moscow Russia and private collections worldwide.

During his short, but prolific career, Talat Shikhaliyev became one of the most powerful voices in the visual arts of Azerbaijan. His exceptional feel for color and mastery of form, resulted in a body of work that goes beyond formal expressions: these are paintings that act as psychological revelations. Inspired by Humanistic ideas and ideals, Talat Shikhaliyev’s paintings focus on shared human experiences that connect us on a most basic level:. The motifs Talat is drawn to are both immediate and timeless.  kids playing outside, a mother reading a book to her children, a napping girl, images that appeal to our empathy, our feeling of solidarity with fellow man, and images that enable us to examine our own humanity. This ability to convert optical impressions into psychological experiences was the essential goal of his creative process and bespeaks of the artist’s emotional sensitivity and intuitive understanding of sensory information. TheIntensity of his color, the energy of brushstroke and the texture of the pictorial field form avery distinct visual language deeply rooted in the traditions of oil painting.