The art of frescoes
The art of wall painting developed very early in Georgia. An example of the earliest 7th-century frescoes can be found in the representation of the Last Supper preserved in the David Garedja monastery. Initially, frescoes covered the choir and apses, before rapidly occupying all church wall spaces, as well as columns and vaults. Byzantine standards permeated these early illustrations of the lives of the saints. They are characterized by sober colors and clean lines. Techniques gradually evolved. The monumentality of 11th-century frescoes gradually gave way to more decorative, less rigid forms. Some frescoes have miraculously survived successive invasions, erosion and weathering. These include the 11th-century mosaic in the Gelati monastery showing the Virgin Mary, Jesus and the archangels Michael and Gabriel; the large 10th- and 11th-century frescoes in the Ateni Sioni monastery near Gori; and the 12th-century frescoes in Vardzia, which skilfully blend into the irregularities of the troglodyte church walls.
During the Mongol invasions, the art of fresco painting did not disappear, and many Byzantine masters came to work in Georgia, brilliantly blending Byzantine and Georgian influences. The 13th century, followed by the fall of Constantinople (1453), marked the beginning of a period of little original creation, with a return to the models of the past. The 16th century saw a renaissance of mural frescoes, strongly influenced by Georgian traditions, as seen in thechurch of St. George in Guelati, Gremi and Nekressi.
Today, churches are once again filled with frescoes executed by craftsmen who meticulously reproduce medieval frescoes. Interiors that appear to date back to the 11th century are sometimes as old as 2006!
Decorative sculpture
Mainly from the medieval period, decorative sculptures embellished cathedral facades in the form of figures in relief and ornamental chasing. It was in bas-reliefs in particular that the masters gave free rein to their talent. Originally limited to the window and door towers, the sculptures took up more and more space. Initially, the motifs chosen were animals, flowers and plants. The vine, the Georgian symbol par excellence, was also very common.
Between the 8th and 10th centuries, an evolution in style became apparent. New, original shapes began to emerge alongside pure geometric motifs (late 10th century).
Themes such as Christ and the Ascension were relatively common, and were placed above doorways. Foreign models blended with traditional motifs, as can be seen on the capitals of theBolnissi church. It was at the beginning of the 10th century that the rendering of faces became more refined, and the folds of clothing were chiseled into the stone. Unlike Russian and Byzantine churches, where the sacred part of the church was separated from the believers by a wall covered with icons (the iconostasis), in medieval Georgia there was a low stone wall topped by columns and arcades. Only later were the spaces between the columns filled with icons. A very small number of these fences have survived to the present day; the church of Djvari in Mtskheta preserves a fragment, as does the church of Dzveli Chouamta in Kakhetia.
Georgian miniatures
Originally, copyist monks embellished manuscripts by highlighting the letters of the Georgian alphabet using tinted inks. Later, the monks became masters of the art of illumination. The first surviving illuminated work is the Tetraevangile from Adichi (Svanetia region), dated 897. Two methods are used here: in one, the outlines are traced in ink, then the interior is covered with a layer of color; in the other, several layers of color are applied to a previously sketched drawing.
The 13th century witnessed a desire for renewal: the characters spilled over into the margins of the text, which was itself decorated with motifs. With the arrival of Italian missionaries in the 16th and 17th centuries, Western influences made their appearance in the work of Georgian artists. Alongside religious illumination, a secular variant influenced by Iran also developed. An astrology manuscript, depicting the signs of the zodiac, is dated 1188. The masterpiece of Georgian medieval literature, Le Chevalier à la peau de tigre (The Tiger-skinned Knight), was illuminated on numerous occasions, the earliest by Mamouka Tavakarachvili.
Paint
In the 18th century, Georgian art established links with Western European art. Monumental art gave way to easel painting, graphic art and sculpture. Easel painting rapidly took off. A moving testimony to the introduction of Western standards in painting is represented by the Tbilisi Museum's basement collection of Qadjar art: portraits executed by artists from the Iranian Empire, some of whom were Georgian, continuing to paint Oriental motifs in the European manner and proportions. This transitional art is unique, and the Tbilisi collection is one of the richest (immortalized in Paradjano's film Achik Kérib). Secondly, the Tbilisi school of portrait painters of the mid-19th century met with immense success (notably the school of Hakop Hovnatanian and Maïssouradze). It combines realistic compositions with the traditional aspects of medieval painting. The Tbilisi Museum of Fine Arts boasts numerous works by these painters, who specialized in portraits of the royal family and representatives of the nobility. Two remarkable paintings, classified as anonymous, are probably by Hovnatanian: the features of the figures are precisely rendered, as are the solemn poses. Anecdotally, Hovnatanian lost his livelihood with the advent of photography and moved further east, to Iran, to escape the curse of portraiture.
In the 1880s, portraiture dominated easel painting, but there was an evolution among young painters who had studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg. They attempted to render not only the outward, physical appearance, but also the inner world and psychology of the characters. Their subjects belong to different social types in Georgian society. Examples include Romanoz Gvelessiani's The Kakhetian with the Jug and Alexandre Beridze's The Smiling Old Man.
Georgia experienced an artistic effervescence at the end of the 19th century, with painters such as Karabadze (1889-1952), Lado Gudiashvili (1896-1980) and, most famously, Piromanashvili (1862-1918), who created portraits and scenes in a distinctive naive style, reinterpreting traditional iconography. New trends were emerging. Guiorgui Gabachvili's village scenes were dominated by character studies. A genre excelled by the self-taught painter Niko Pirosmanichvili, known as Pirosmani, whose paintings portray the "little" Georgian people, as well as princes engaged in one of their favorite pastimes: banqueting. Many of these artists would come to know the Paris of the 1920s and its cultural dynamism, with its mix of new trends and diverse influences. A room at the National Gallery in Tbilisi is devoted to Pirosmani, whose work can also be appreciated at his house-museum in Sighnaghi.
From 1945 to the present day
In the heart of Tbilisi, the imposing building of the Georgian Museum of Fine Arts houses 3,500 works created by one hundred Georgian artists over the last seventy years. Collages, oil paintings, drawings and sculptures are presented in chronological order on three levels. The exhibition covers socialist realism, the period of the Iron Curtain and the Cold War, the collapse of the Soviet regime, the civil war and Georgia's independence.
Photography made its mark very early on in Georgia, notably in the form of family albums. We particularly recommend those of Barbara Dadiani (1903-1999). From accounts of the 1917 Revolution to photography in the service of socialist ideology, this art form documented all the country's upheavals. In 1933, the Georgian Photo collective enabled the best Georgian photographers to take part in international competitions. Their images show the workers, collective farms and industrial landscapes of the time. Photography enthusiasts should not miss exploring the rooms of the Georgian Museum of Photography. To complete the visit, the collection of the Fotografia gallery is divided into three sections: conceptual, contemporary and documentary. You can admire works of the highest quality, such as Nata Sopromadze's work on the anthropomorphic effects of wood.
Street art has only recently emerged in Georgia. Today, renowned artists such as Jérôme Mesnager and his famous white man adorn the country's streets. Apart from the historic heart of Tbilisi, traces of street art can be found everywhere, from broad political messages to poetic or humorous stencils. Three addresses will delight street art hunters. Fabrika, housed in a former sewing factory, has become a lively arts center, with bars and restaurants, a coworking space, boutiques and art studios arranged around a courtyard bursting with life. Fabrika is impossible to miss. From afar, the colorful walls delineate the surrounding streets. Locals and tourists alike gather here to share, learn, be inspired, relax or eat. The Place des Héros underpass was adorned by graffiti artists in 2017 at the city's initiative with the aim of making it safer and more pleasant. You'll find it on your way to the monument dedicated to Georgian soldiers. Another monument, this time to the heroes of the Second World War, will take you through the Vake Park underpass, which also leads to a shopping area.
Tbilisi Art Fair (TAF) offers art professionals an exclusive insight into the emerging art scene. Tbilisi's contemporary art fair opens its doors to the international art scene, with an emphasis on its neighbouring countries. Committed to nurturing and promoting young talent, TAF places Georgia among the countries with a bright cultural future.
