Togrul Narimanbekov was born in the territory of today’s Azerbaijan to a French mother. In the last decades of his life he was commuting between Paris and Baku, while besides his activity as a painter, his singing career (as a tenor) occupied an increasingly prominent place in his daily life. He turned towards painting at an early age: after the Amzizade art school in Baku, he studied fine art at the Vilnius Academy of Arts between 1950−1955. In 1967 he received the Artist of the People award. In 1980 he received state honours from the Soviet Union. Narimanbekov died a French citizen; a number of his works are in the collection of the National Art Museum of Azerbaijan. Narimanbekov was specialised in folk art, turning to it following his encounter with Junas Mikenas of Lithuania. His main objective was the fusion of Azeri and European artistic traditions. This endeavour can be witnessed in his approach that draws on tapestry-like compositions, intense colours and traditional ornamental design, while treating his subjects with light expressivity. While illustrating books of history and medieval legends, Narimanbekov mainly recorded the characteristics of his homeland in his paintings. Besides landscapes and still lifes, his oeuvre features several portraits: he had a predilection for painting his close artist friends. Strong colours are outlined by thick black contours in his painting, emphasizing the pulsating power of his whirling compositions; his daring use of colours endows his works with a surreal character. He bravely demonstrated his deep and romantic emotions towards his homeland – Morning at the Shashlik Bar is one of these pieces.