Abstracts - International Initiative for Georgian Cultural Studies

ous Europe, gives greater importance to his work.
Pirosmani is distinguished by a unique, intuitive, inherited sense of the simultaneous comprehension of
the whole and the detail, principal and secondary. In order to represent his subjects in a greater context, the
painter often neglects details, thus transforming the subject of his painting into a monumental and even “abstract”
imagery. This principle connects him to different artistic movements of European modernism. It’s
widely known that the desire to “pure plastic” and to achieve simplicity of form became one of the major issues
of modern painting. Central to these tenets was the exploration of essence, revealed through the neglect
of superfluous details in order not to encroach upon the essential elements and alteration or simplification of
natural forms instead of their naturalistic depiction. These principles form a basis for the majority of artistic
movements of modern art, such as Expressionism, Cubism, Abstractionism and etc.
Moreover, Pirosmani’s free, quick manner of painting and use of wide brushstrokes resemble the styles
of Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse and Andre Derain. Furthermore, Cézanne used white canvas in the same
manner as Pirosmani - with a black oilcloth; when he needed black colour, he simply left that part bare.
The symbolic meanings attributed to different colours by Pirosmani are another feature that relates his
painting to Post-Impressionism, Symbolism and Abstractionism, whereas the incorporation of inscriptions
as an independent compositional element in the picture plain associates the Georgian painter to the art of
Cubists, who did the same in 1911.
Such qualities as a free manner of painting, simplicity of composition and pictorial means, symbolic
language of colors and, finally, the use of inscriptions in composition help to establish Pirosmani amongst
the greatest artists of modernism.
Nestan Tatarashvili
Freelance Scholar. Georgia
European Cultural Heritage - Art Nouveau Architecture in Georgia
The late 19 th century saw the emergence of a new style in Europe, referred to as Modern in Georgia,
which spread quickly in various countries, including in Georgia, under names as diverse as Art Nouveau,
Jugendstil, Secession, Modernista, Liberty, etc. Unlike other styles, Art Nouveau refused to follow preliminarily
established forms. It rejected mechanical repetition and promoted free improvisation with ideas and
themes, which Georgian artists also accomplished successfully.
Art Nouevau architecture was built not only in the capital city of Tbilisi, but in other smaller cities and
towns, such as Sokhumi, Batumi, Poti, Kutaisi, Gagra. Akhali Atoni, Kobuleti and Dusheti.
Apart from being used as residential and tenement houses, Art Nouveau buildings also were used for
banks, schools, shops, hospitals, workshops, theatres and an oranjerie. Of particular note are a tobacco plant
and a thermal power station in Tbilisi, as well as a library and a shed for horse-drawn carriages in Poti, all
designed in Art Nouveau. Brilliant memorial monuments survive in old, historical cemeteries. Mention
must be made of Art Nouveau cinema houses. It is well-known that the dates of the emergence and spread
of Art Nouveau and the cinema are almost identical, and it is therefore important that the convergence of
these two innovations was such a success in Georgia.
Regrettably, there is still much to be done to reveal Art Nouveau buildings and complete related archival
studies. The material available, however, attests that the renewed cultural and economic relations with Europe
allowed Georgia to adopt and promote Art Nouveau - the most popular trend in architecture at the time.
Art Nouveau must be duly addressed not only in Georgian scholarly papers, but also in school textbooks
and tourist itineraries.
Georgian Art Nouveau architecture has recently drawn the attention of various internationally acknowledged
organizations such as the World Monuments Fund in New York, Reseau Art Nouveau Network in
Bruxelle and Art Nouveau European Route in Barcelona. As a result, Georgian Art Nouveau heritage is now
represented on their websites as well as in numerous international publications.
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