Abstracts - International Initiative for Georgian Cultural Studies

the establishment of Neo-figurativism in contrast to non-figurativeness of abstract art; ii) the extensive use
of artistic devices, such as grotesqueness and irony; iii) the establishment of the style of eclecticism and
inter-textualism; iv) the presence of religious and mythological motivations; v) nostalgia of historical past;
and vi) double coding.
The terms “Modernism” and “Avant-gardism”, as well as “Postmodernism” and “Transavant-garde”,
which came after, are often interchangeably used in scholarly literature due to their compatible nature and
essential similarities. Therefore it seems more reasonable to agree on which definitions are more applicable
to the Georgian artistic milieu in order not to confuse unaware recipients. The terms “Postmodernism” was
first applied in respect to cultural trends in the 1980s by the French philosopher J. Baudrillard and later by
P. Portogezi in the 1980-1990s in relation to architecture. The term “Transavantgarde” was supported by
another Italian professor B. Oliva, who first published the Transavantgarde concept of art development.
Therefore it is more appropriate to use the term “Transavantgarde” to explain this movement. What is clear
though is that whatever term is selected to denote the 1980s’ artistic trends, the creative and intellectual
context of Georgia, having found itself in the Soviet space, spontaneously reacted by saturating Georgian
fine art with Transavantgarde elements. The grounds for this had been prepared by early 20 th century avantgarde
art.
Tea Tabatadze
Tbilisi State Academy of Art Georgia. Georgia
Towards the Definition of Certain Characteristics of Modernist Artistyle Cafes - Conceptual Aspect
of the Kimerioni Wall Paintings
The artistic cabaret/club/café is a notable phenomenon of early Modernism. It was at the end of the 19 th
and beginning of the 20 th century that the cabaret movement, cabaret style and “café culture” became relevant
in Europe and Russia. The analysis of the related literature suggests that the establishment of artistic
cabarets/clubs/cafés was facilitated by a combination of cultural, aesthetic (modernist context), political,
and social circumstances in the country, as well as because of the psychological disposition of the public. A
shared public consciousness created the need, desire and grounds for this unity and defined the chronology,
nature of the function of these establishments and their social and aesthetic purpose to the public. Therefore,
artistic cabarets in all countries and cities had their own, distinctive context, their own “theme”.
Tbilisi of the 1910s had the right context for the “cabaret epidemic”. The tradition of artistic cafés and
clubs was imported from Russia. Apart from Georgians, they were founded by modernists of various nationalities
living in Tbilisi at the time. The tradition of adorning cafés with murals also came from Russia.
But despite Russian influence, the differing functions of these establishments attest to the fact that they
were natural and logical elements of the Tbilisi cultural milieu, which, in its turn, suggests that Georgian
culture of the time contributed towards the unified modernist discourse.
Though influenced by the spiritual, aesthetic/ethical aspirations from which they emerged, Tbilisi’s artistic
cafés, and the Kimerioni in particular, had a distinctive character that was their own. This was defined
by the following factors: I) historical and political settings (the years of national independence); II) Tbilisi
itself - its character, its way of life; III) the nature of the modernist culture and art: its multi- or international
character; the main aesthetic object of the Georgian artists of the time - “national and universal” - which
defined the function of art and its relation to the country; and the unanimous understanding of the society
during this period of this relationship.
Kimerioni is a synthetic structure - a functional space adorned with murals containing historical, time
and social references and depicting the world outlook and aspirations of early 20 th century Tbilisi through
the aesthetic form. In this regard, the Kimerioni presents a shared artistic system, though this unity is represented
by three individual artists (L. Gudiashvili, D. Kakabadze and S. Sudeyikin), three subjective visions,
three distinctive themes, and two distinct cultures.
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MODERNISM IN GEORGIA