Art Researches

Alexandra Tevsadze – A Theatre Painter

Irma Dolidze — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0400

Curriculum vitae in first person (archive document): “I, Alexandra Tevsadze (patronymic – Alexander), was born in 1896 in the city of Tbilisi. I finished my school education in 1915 with a gold medal. At the same time, I learned painting in the school of B. Vogel and N. Sklifosovsky. From 1920 I taught painting in secondary school (a certificate is attached). Soon I started studying at the Academy of Arts in the class of Yevgeny Yevgenyevich Lanceray and Adolf Iosifovich Charlemagne. In 1930 after graduation from the Academy I worked in the Museum of Arts. Then in the Rustaveli Theater, on the design of costumes and the whole performances at the College of Theater. The following shows and performances were designed by me: Fr. Schiller’s “The Robbers” (costumes by Sergo Kobuladze and A. Tevsadze, stage design by the painter I. Gamrekeli), L. Slavin’s “Intervention” (stage design - I. Gamrekeli, costumes -A. Tevsadze), V. Shkvarkin’s “The Bastard” (stage design – S. Kobuladze, costumes – A. Tevsadze), A. Kornejtshuk’s “Platon Krechet” (stage design – S. Kobuladze, costumes – A. Tevsadze), K. Mdivanis “Alkazar” (set design Tavadze, costumes – A. Tevsadze), S. Shanshiashvili’s “Arsena” (set design – I. Gamrekeli, costumes – A. Tevsadze), Sh. Dadiani’s “The Yesterdays” (stage design – I. Gamrekeli, costumes – A. Tevsadze), Sh. Dadiani’s “From the flame“ (stage design – I. Gamrekeli, costumes – A. Tevsadze). In the Opera Theater I designed costumes for the Decade of Georgian Art in Moscow in 1936.

In the Rustaveli Theater I created the stage design for the following performances: A. N. Ostrovsky’s “Guilty Without Fault” and Eugène Scribe’s “A Glass of Water”. In Batumi theater – “The Betrayal” by A. Sumbatasvili-Yushin, in Stalinir – Sh. Dadiani’s “Gegechkori” and “My Son” by I. Gergelia and Litovchev. At the Higher School of Theater – „Matchmaker” by I. Chavchavadze, “The Rift” by B. Lavrenyov, “The Scrooge” by G. Eristavi, “Talents and Admirers” by A. N. Ostrovsky, “A Month in the Country” by I. Turgenev, etc. Besides, I gave lectures in the subject “Art of Costume Design” (a certificate is enclosed).

In Marjanishvili Theater I worked on the following performances: “Masquerade” by M. Lermontov and “Zizamuri” by G. Nakhuzrishvili. I have also created costumes for the actors’ ensemble.

As a book illustrator I participated in the graphic representation of the following books: “Republic of Rascals”/ “The Republic of ShKID” by G. Belych and L. Pantelejev, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by H. E. Beecher Stowe, “Who to Be?” by V. Mayakovsky.
In 1945 I was awarded a medal “For bravery, proven in the Great Patriotic War” by the Painters’ Association for my social activities. July 7, 1967 A. Tevsadze”

Al. Tevsadze’s autobiography preserved in the Palace of Arts of Georgia. Tevsadze is the only document filled in by her own hand. The information about the person of A. Tevsadze is so meagre that the reconstruction of her life and work is made difficult. Even in art historical studies, nothing is reported about this artist. For this reason, great importance is attached to any material or information about this artist.

While working on the sketches kept in the Musum of Sh. Rustaveli State University of Theatre and Film of Georgia, my attention was drawn to the works of this artist. This is where my interest in researching the work of this artist came from. Her autobiography served as a guide for me to discover and study the materials kept in the museum as well as in the Palace of Arts of Georgia. It turned out that A. Tevsadze’s estate deals with theatre. Her works – about 50 sketches – are designs of costumes for the theatre performances – “Arsena”, “The Yesterdays”, “Master” and “Platon Kretchet” (45 sketches). They were granted the status of movable monument of cultural heritage in 2012.

The conducted research of the documents allows us to present the life and work of A. Tevsadze in the following way: The painter was born in Tbilisi in 1896. During her school education she attended the art school of B. Vogel and N. Sklifosovsky. At the beginning of the 20th century there were two art schools in Tbilisi: the School of Sculpture and Fine Arts in Tbilisi and a public school led by N. Sklifosovsky. Here studied many later famous painters – E. Akhvlediani, S. Kobuladze and others. A. Tevsadze also studied at this school. She continued her studies at the Art Academy, founded in 1922, and received professional training. A. Tevsadze belongs to the first generation of graduates of the Academy of Arts. According to her autobiography, she started working at the Art Museum in 1930 after graduating from the Academy of Arts. Then at the Rustaveli Theatre, at the College of Theatre
Arts, where she worked on the design of costumes and the set of entire performances. Since that time, the artist has been exclusively involved with theatre. At the College of Theatre Arts, she creates stage designs in the years 1940-1952. Her work is particularly active in the first years of the newly founded Theatre College (also known as the Institute) – in the years 1932-1941. Later, she works on theatre productions in the Marjanishvili Theatre, in the theatres of Batumi and Zkhinvali.

The artist’s interest was also in graphic design. She worked on the costumes for the ensembles. She also designed the costumes for the Decade of Arts in Moscow in 1936. Alexandra Tevsadze died in 1976, at the age of 80.

The 1930s is an extremely interesting period, the very time when A. Tevsadze’s artistic career began. In Georgian painting, the modernist tendencies of the 1920s are still current; in the 1930s, the realistic and, to a certain extent, illustrative tendency emerges. It is the time when “socialist realism” begins to assert itself in art. It is also an interesting period of search in Georgian theatre. The work of K. Marjanishvili and S. Akhmeteli determines the artistic processes not only in the two leading state theatres of Georgia, but also in the theatre landscape of the whole Georgia.

Alexandra Tevsadze has been working in the Rustaveli Theatre since 1932. She worked on designing the costumes for the performance of Fr. Schiller’s “The Robbers” (1933. Directed by S. Akhmeteli, Sh. Aghsabadze) together with the painter S. Kobuladze. A draught of a woman’s costume is preserved in the museum of the Rustaveli Theatre. Schiller’s “The Robbers” was probably to be the artist’s first work at the Rustaveli Theatre.

Al. Tevsadze’s Oueuvre consists of sketches made in the 1930s and 1940s. Regardless of the different artistic conceptions, A. Tevsadze’s sketches are always full of changeable sculpture, dynamics, moderate colour palette, they are characterised by profound knowledge of costume design. This diverse gallery of heroic types reflects not only the whole concept of a concrete theatrical performance, but also the artistic tendencies of the epoch. In A. Tevsadze’s sketches, the historical image of the time always retains important significance.

The work of A. Tevsadze – the theatre painter – belongs to the inseparable part of Georgian scenography and Georgian theatre history.

The Great Illusion Of The „Sixtiers“

Rusudan Kvaratskhelia — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0400

The 60s of the 20th century united in Georgia several representatives of different generations - the comrades who had been through a lot, atheist parents, people who had suffered a hard life, those who had lost many of their ideals but still kept their faith in righteousness, and the children of these people – young people who, after the exposure of the personality cult, had perceived their own individuality, those who wanted to live a different and free life, but who were not fully aware of what the ideals of freedom meant.

The generation of the siXties allowed themselves a certain freedom in their choice of words, in their analytical view of events, but still maintained caution in their actions. Their natural doubt about the ideals sought a way out not in political freedom (one was not even allowed to dream of that at the time), but in the independence of expressing one’s own opinion.

The epoch of the siXties, which actually began in cinematic art in 1957 with Mikhail Kalatosov’s (Kalatosishvili) film “The Cranes Are Flying”, “ended” in 1968. Opposing feelings coexisted in the consciousness of society at that time: fear and joy, foreboding of a global danger and a sense of easily attainable happiness, the belief in survival. Soon these feelings and possibilities were configured quite clearly. It is true that on the screen of the 60s “the iron curtain” could no longer fulfil its original function, but therefore since 1968 the state began to erect new iron walls.

The new generation of filmmakers understood that the meaning of art is not in the declaration of modern norms, but in the never-ending process of cognition – in the search for the beautiful, in the recognition of the self-recognition of the free personality, in the shaping of individual perception. The motto – “Just like everyone else” – was unacceptable to the majority of filmmakers at that time, but the formation of one’s own position in life did not seem easy either. In his essay “Being and Time”, Martin Heidegger writes that no epoch demonstrates as much diverse knowledge about man/ the human being as the present epoch. No epoch gained knowledge or cognition about man/ the human being as quickly and easily as the present one. Man/ the human being himself was not so problematic in his consciousness in any epoch as in this one. It was not by chance that thinkers and artists felt the difficulties of thinking through one’s own “I”-this feeling was caused by the crisis situations of the epoch and by the identification of one’s own selfhood.

The Soviet Union – Union of Soviet Socialist Republics – a state that tried to assert the truth of utopian ideology, also fulfilled its socialist duty in the field of art at the end of the 1950s and the beginning of the 1960s. The unmasking of the personality cult, the person of N. S. Khrushchev, the triumph of J. Gagarin, the loosening of the “iron curtain” and the period of Thaw (Russian Ottepel), the promotion of the status of creative intellectuals, brought about new conditions in film as well. The social order presented was taken up by filmmakers of all generations. The splinter of the monolithic myth had reached everyone, even those whose talent had served agitational propaganda for years. Not all of them were successful as authors, but the pathos of the new era, which corresponded to the new anti-totalitarian social ideology, quickly emerged, equal to the old one. The new post-totalitarian space of existential film was created.

Rezo Chkheidze – The Patriarch Of Georgian Cinema

Giorgi Razmadze — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0400

Rezo Chkheidze is an important figure in Georgian film. His name is associated with the first international recognition of Georgian film. He was also the director of many films that were popular among the masses. This popularity extended not only to Georgia, but to the whole territory of the Soviet Union. Rezo Chkheidze was the first Georgian who had the opportunity to shoot the film abroad within the framework of international co-production. For many years he was the director of the Georgian Film Studio “Georgian Film” and directly participated in the creation of Georgian cinematography. It is true that the young generation had baptised him a negative figure, which had a certain prerequisite (he was a civil servant with whose name is associated the process of privatisation of film theatres and other properties in the 1990s, as well as the fact that he made less interesting films at the end of his career, etc.). But today, these stereotypical allegories of one-sided liberal discourses and hypocrisy associated with his personality should be subject to revision.

This article is an attempt to take a holistic approach to the work of a Soviet film director, using Rezo Chkheidze as an example. His biography arouses a sense of dissonance in the reader – Rezo Chkheidze was the son of victims of Stalin’s repressive measures and became a significant figure in Soviet culture, a functionary. In Rezo Chkheidze’s films, the author always takes the side of the weak and oppressed, which is most evident in his most important film, “Magdana’s Donkey” (original title: Magdana’s Lurja), on the background of the class struggle. In this respect, one could explain Rezo Chkheidze’s decision of personal demarcation as his idealism. However, this aspect is still not explicitly emphasised and dealt with in the specialist literature and textbooks on film history.

Over the course of many years, Rezo Chkheidze headed the only film studio in Georgia “Georgian Film” (“Kartuli Pilmi”). This position made him a protectionist of Georgian film directors. He spent most of his creative work dealing with the phenomenon of his father. From “Magdana’s Donkey” to his last film “Candle Lit at the Saviour’s tomb” – the symbol of the father is perceived everywhere: his loss, the desire to search for him, or the director describes both the difficulty and the joy of being a father.

Rezo Chkheidze’s biography begins with his repressed father – the writer David Chkheidze, a member of the first Bolshevik movement. He worked as a teacher in Kutaisi, directed the local theatre, wrote plays and novels. But eventually became a victim of repressive measures. The young Rezo Chkheidze had no financial means to study in Moscow at the “State All-Union Institute of Cinematography” (abbreviated as WGIK). But after his father’s rehabilitation and thanks to his father’s library, he managed to do so and ended up in the workshop of Mikhail Romm and Sergei Yutkevich.

Education has always been of great importance to Rezo Chkheidze. In 1972, together with his peers, he founded the Faculty of Film at the State University of Theatre Arts. This marked a new development perspective for Georgian film – the possibility of being relatively less dependent on the Soviet metropolis. The relationship to Moscow has a special place in Rezo Chkheidze’s biography. As with many representatives of his generation, the Russian colonial construct is expressed in a controversial and bipolar view (in love and hate of Moscow). In 1991, Rezo Chkheidze returns the highest state prize of the USSR the Lenin Prize, awarded to him for his film “Party Secretary of the Regional Committee” – he does not accept it, which is related to the attainment of independence, although he lives the next years in the Russian limelight.

When exploring Rezo Chkheidze’s oeuvre, the image of an idealistic director who dreams of creating a paradise on earth emerges. In the beginning, this is expressed in the belief in the idea of a “communist paradise”, which is replaced by religious motifs in the following years.

For Rezo Chkheidze’s generation, Russia already became a kind of alternative to the West in the 1990s, after the disappointment of unfulfilled exaggerated hopes. Some were seized by a passion to return to the Russian Empire after the “Rose Revolution”; but colonial sentimentalities were not peculiar to all representatives of this generation. Many had found the transition from the old value system to the new difficult. Even the allies of the “empire” found the injustice, ruin and permissiveness instilled by anarchist and savage capitalism beneficial, all the things that made the Georgian population needy and have not offered a better system to this day. In this respect, the film “Candle Lit at the Saviour’s tomb” can be considered a moralistic response to the “Rose Revolution”.

Rezo Chkheidze’s first and last films are united by the will to fight injustice, although the last film, “”Candle lit at the Savior’s tomb”, is a primitive kitschy opus that is an extremely striking example of the devaluation of the auteur in the history of Georgian cinema. In Rezo Chkheidze’s first films we see great ideas, but in the director’s last film we discover not the juxtaposition of materialist utopia, but the juxtaposition of idealistic, more accurately formulated biblical paradise. To offer a certain anaesthetic (“religion is the opium of the people” – K. Marx) instead of combating real problems is at least immoral. But this amorality flourished soon after the preservation of independence and after the coup almost in all spheres – in politics as well as in the economy, in art and religion.

Theater Performance As A Metaphor

Tamar Kutateladze — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0400

The article “Theatre Performance as Metaphor” is a paper dealing with the study of the theatre performances of the post-communist period in Georgia from the socio-political point of view. First of all, on the basis of the studies of well-known theorists – Gregory L. Ulmer, Roland Barthes, Guy Debord and others, the essence, peculiarities, aesthetic functions, standards of the effect of metaphor are explained. The main part of the article reports on the tendency of founding alternative theatres and the theatrical processes that were activated in the 80s and 90s of the 20th century.

For the new generation of the 80s, the repertoire of the “Small Stage” of the Rustaveli Theatre, which was extremely popular at that time, is considered the beginning of this new period. This repertoire and stage was founded at the College of Theatre Studies under the auspices and guidance of the director Gizo Jordania. The article also mentions the experimental youth theatre founded by Shalva Gazerelia on the basis of the State Theatre for Young Audiences. Plays by playwright Irakli Samsonadze, then a beginner, were performed on the stage of this experimental theatre – “The Lucky Ticket” and “Easter at the Abolished Cemetery”. These performances are perceived as the beginning of a new theatre reform. These performances showed the confrontation of generations that had come to a head in the 90s, the absurdity of everyday life, approaches to the aesthetics of absurd theatre. These performances indicated that it was time to find a new theatre model, radical process of change, the indispensability of the movement of small theatres.

In this article, the following themes are highlighted – radically opposed themes in theatre art in the 1990s (idea of national specificity, nihilism, compulsion for self-determination, problems of loneliness and national minorities, etc.). Subchapters present the brief history and aesthetics of alternative theatre spaces, new theatre forms – these are: “The Rustaveli Cellar Theatre”, “The Vake Cellar Theatre”, “The Freedom Theatre”, “The Royal District Theatre”. Also examined are the most important performances of the new directors: Levan Zuladze, Avtandil Varsimashvili, Goga Tavadze, Giorgi Margvelashvili, Andro Enukidze, Dimitri Khvtisiashvili (“Faust”, “Irine’s Happiness”, “The Cherry Orchard”, “Danse macabre”, etc.). The article also examines performances of the 21st century (“A Doll’s House” by V. Khuzishvili, “Nugzar and Mephistopheles” by G. Tavadze, “The Wretch” by M. Charkviani, “The Labyrinth” by G. Shalutashvili, “Hamlet” by L. Zuladze, “Ghosts” by S. Aslamasishvili, “Hedda Gabler” by T. Popiashvili, etc.). The formation of the principles of “theatre cruelty”, which, together with other tendencies, are considered a metaphor of the new Georgian reality, social mood and attitude, as well as theatre processes. The young directors’ drive for non-traditional, scandalous representations of the classics (Chekhov, Shakespeare, Ibsen, Kldiashvili, Strindberg) is also discussed.

The Dance Dialect Of Meskheti-Javakheti

Khatuna Damchidze — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0400

The region of Meskheti-Javakheti has always been rich in the dance property of the round dances. The considerable contribution of the ethnomusicologist Valerian Maghradze in researching and describing the musical folklore of Meskheti-Javakheti deserves special mention. The architectonics of most round dances shows the following structure: 1) introduction – a slow part called “Dideba” i.e. “boasting”, called by the researcher L. Gvaramadze as “Dondgali” i.e. “evenly swinging back and forth”; 2) second part – the actual core of the round dance, called “To join in”; 3) third part – called “Zkvituri” i.e. “to perform hurriedly”. The third part is where the dance in the round dance begins.

The most famous and widespread round dance in the Meskheti-Javakheti region is “Mumli- Mukhasa” i.e. “The mosquito and the oak”. The round dance was traditionally performed in the last week before the beginning of the Great Lent. This round dance is associated with the age-old cultural tradition as well as the theme of patriotism, which was added in the later period. The dance architectonics and dance lexis of this round dance can be described as follows: one-storey round dance performed by men holding hands, all turning in a circle, the movements repeated by the chorus (as a responsory) in successive steps – two on the right, one on the left. Like this round dance, the round dance “Der Schmiedemeister” is also performed in the similar dance lexicon. This round dance was also performed in the last week before the beginning of Great Lent, i.e. before the play Berikaoba (Berikaoba is an improvised mask theatre in Georgia, which goes back to the pagan festival of fertility and rebirth). But there is also a difference between them – in the “blacksmith’s master” round dance, in which several dancers took part, there were also men and women who held each other arm over arm, according to ethnographers (V. Samsonadze thinks that the round dance was performed in the arm-in-arm interlocked position). Moreover, several layers could be formed in the round dance, according to the form – circle within a circle. Both round dances – “The Mosquito and the Oak” and “The Master Blacksmith” – begin with the introductory part “Dideba” – “Boasting”.

Many round dances were performed at weddings in the Meskheti-Javakheti region. When the newlyweds arrived in the groom’s family, they were welcomed with the miXed round dance (performed by women and men) with musical accompaniment. The round dance was slow - three steps right, two – left. The round dance was performed in three or seven rounds, the number of participants was not limited. Round dances were also danced during the procession of newlyweds from the church - the round dances were danced by the bride’s and groom’s entourage, in the middle of the circle was the bagpiper or singers.

In the Meskheti-Javakheti region, as well as in the Racha, Kartli, Kakheti and mountain regions of eastern Georgia, it was customary to bypass the domestic hearth three times in the round dance. Such rounds included “bless the leader”. Although a round dance of this name does not occur in Meskheti-Javakheti. In contrast to other regions of Georgia, in the area of Meskheti-Javakheti that I am researching, one finds the following symptomatic round dance – “round dance of seven couples”. This dance was also performed at weddings by the bride and groom and six unmarried couples. The dance was accompanied by musical instruments – zurna and duduk (double reed instrument with a funnel-shaped bell and a woodwind instrument with an extremely large double reed). The seven couples circumvent seven circles with lit candles in their hands, starting therefore the round dance should be slow and full of balance. The groom’s hunting rite was also accompanied by round dance.

Among the lost examples of Meskheti-Javakheti dance folklore is the round dance “Dsaghluri” – this round dance was also danced in the weddings. A dialect variant of the round dance “Dsaghluri” (a play that has also disappeared) has been preserved in some regions of Georgia. This play is associated with the cult of fertility and was therefore primarily performed at weddings. This round dance is also known as “Lalioni” (the name is of Turkish origin), which means a mime dance (round dance to be performed silently).

In addition to the one-storey rounds, two-storey rounds are also found in the dance folklore of Meskheti-Javakheti, such as the “Samkrelo” round. Three steps forward (right), two steps back (left) – this structure is also found in the round dance song “Go around in a circle now”.

Vardzioba – Dzioba”, which also begins with the part “boasting”, and then continues with a dance duet of a couple, counts as a round dance.

Particularly noteworthy is the scenic choreographic contribution of G. Salukvadze, who based himself on artefacts, displaying his own individual concept in the performance of the dances – “Idumala”, “Mdzimuri”, “Dideba”, “VardziobaDzioba”. Each of these dances has a patriotic content, at the centre of the subject is the fight with the enemy.

In Meskheti-Javakheti, the following dances are evidenced – “Lekuri” and “Baghdaduri”, which can be danced solo or in pairs. The article also places special emphasis on the choreological terminology that is characteristic of this region.

The Artistic Postulates

Ketevan Elashvili — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0400

The 21st century is characterised, among other things, by the “erasure” of words. In order to express the mental turmoil or the inner self, one leaves only the “mould” of the targeted word and one gives it a completely different meaning accordingly. In this way, such aimless and confused words imprint themselves on our consciousness and the resulting spontaneous theme creates cultural chaos in society. Perhaps that is why it is high time to make the distorted artistic illustrations in Georgian literature more substantial and native.

I limit myself to the following authors: Jakob Chuzesi, Giorgi Merchule, Shota Rustaveli, Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani, David Guramishvili, Besiki, Nikoloz Baratashvili, Ilia Chavchavadze, Washa-Pshavela, Alexandre Qazbegi, David Kldiashvili. The pictorial essays have just emerged from the artistic postulates we have chosen from their works.

The Death Of The Subject

Lia Kalandarishvili — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0400

This article deals with the key concept of the fundamental post-structuralistpostmodernist principle – the “death of the subject”. This term casts doubt on the traditional notion of the subject as a distinct individual, and all this is examined from the perspective of cinematic aesthetics. The paper explains the genesis and artistic expression of the term, as well as its relation to other postmodernist principles – nomen nudum, end of the subject, return of the subject. The diverse and different conception of these terms in works by foreign and Georgian postmodernist theorists and film scholars is also explored.

In the article, the peculiarities of the emergence of the concepts of “nomen nudum” (bare, naked name) and “death of the subject” (end of the subject) are examined on the example of the film of the postmodernist period – in Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane”; an episode from Federico Fellini’s “The Sweet Life” (“La dolce vita”) as an allusion to Fr. Nietzsche’s “God is dead”; thinking through the discourse of “death of the author” in Bernardo Bertolucci’s “The Dreamers”; discourse of time and change of style in Federico Fellini’s „8½“ and Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction”; the search for freedom and a new subject in Georgian film – the symbolism of “flying” in Temur Babluani’s “The Flight of Sparrows” and in Nana Mchedlidze’s “The First Swallow”; likewise on the example of the “flying object” in Eldar Shengelaia’s “The Eccentrics” – differences and similarities, parallel and opposites; discourse in Rezo Gabriadze’s and Eldar Shegelaia’s film “The Eccentrics”; Jim Jarmusch’s “The Limits of Control” as a philosophical contemplation of the modern world – globalisation, multiculture, the nature of the dilemma of reality, about the place of art and about artistic expression. An acting person represented by different cultures and characteristics – alien “passer-by” coming from another unknown reality, abstract subject; Marc Forster’s “Stranger than Fiction” as a postmodern irony of the principles of the concepts of “death of the subject” and the “return of the subject”; Olivier Assayas’s “Personal Shopper” as the actual “death of the subject” – the suppression of individuality in modern man by man, existing through the personal individuality and subjectivity of the Other; the metaphor of “death of the subject” in Carlos Reygadas’s “Post Tenebras Lux 2012”; Bernardo Bertolucci’s “The Last Emperor” as “death of the subject”; Christopher Nolan’s “Memento” as a classic deconstruction/destruction of the rationalist subject.

This article “The Death of the Subject” or “The End of the Subject” does not claim to exhaustively examine the cinematic examples of the aforementioned concept.

The article is merely an attempt at a general perception of modern film aesthetics and its free interpretation – according to all the possibilities that the resource of film art offers us. This paper is intended for the student auditorium of the Faculty of Film Studies, an attempt to acquaint the students with it, so that they begin to deal with concrete aesthetic problems, to discuss them. This work is a thematic part of the textbook or a monograph. This means that both the generally known theoretical approaches and the author’s own views and opinions, his subjective context, are presented here, and the readers are invited to express their own critical opinions.

The Specificity Of Emotional Design Representation, Its Humanitarian Aspect

Ekaterine Tabukashvili — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0400

The content of education is an irreplaceable, necessary component of the subject of fine arts. The teaching of the arts in the artistic-historical retrospective, the reporting of its historical knowledge enriches the vividness of the vast past. It is known from written historical sources that the teaching of fine arts is connected with schools, with epochs of civilisations, but in our perception, it appears as a quite possible possibility that the methodology of art teaching has its beginning already with the emergence of consciousness in man. The basis of fine arts is the teaching of painting/drawing. Painting/drawing is one of the oldest forms of human activity, of human existence. Its active form is connected with the epoch of the Palaeolithic i.e., the Old Stone Age. Scientists consider the ancient painting symbolically as a kind of connection with the magical rites of prehistoric man. One thing is certain, man as a “special and chosen” being possesses the ability to capture the movement of figures, to configure the colourful local spots through supple outlines, and to spread them out on the surface as expressive forms. The prehistoric man is the first whose creation and experience finds an addressee.

A rich and varied material for the practice and teaching of painting as well as for theoretical analysis is provided by the wonderful works of ancient Egyptian art: Wall paintings or drawings on papyrus, statues, buildings. The intensive city building, the erection of palaces, temples and structures required the training of journeymen who became masters. In the ancient kingdom of Egypt, schools of art were formed where the perfection of the masters followed a clearly prescribed procedure and system. The painter had to follow strict instructions when depicting the human body. The human figure was depicted either standing, sitting in an armchair or
kneeling in front of the altar. The master followed all these instructions regardless of whether he was drawing a deity, a pharaoh or the Lothos flower. On the one hand, the process of painting and creating figures was easier for a beginner painter (since he drew according to a certain scheme), but on the other hand, the strict regulations that prevailed in Egyptian art limited the painter in the expression of his creative power. The painter did not have to depict the objects as he saw them in reality in
the fullness of their colourful, lively variety, but as it was predetermined by the Egyptian manner and the rules of figure posing. The learning of painting ended with the memorisation of the already acquired laws of representation technique.

Painting was already an educational subject among the Egyptians. Painting was taught together with drawing and special attention was paid to this subject. Hieroglyphic writing was apparently characteristically painterly and brought about the knowledge and skill of depicting diverse objects. The training and methods of painting teachers were to have a uniform systemic character. The Egyptians, who depended on strict rules, were the authors of theoretical foundations of painting. They were the first to elaborate the doctrinal law of the correct arrangement and depiction of figures. Such a thorough mastery of the laws of figure depiction inspired
the ancient Greeks, who often visited Egypt to exchange experiences with and from Egyptians. The painters of ancient Greece possessed a fine, virtuoso technique of painting, the principles of depicting the human figure. This is evidenced by the
masterful painting of ceramics and statues that have survived as Roman copies. In the ancient Greek visual arts, artists (as well as the tradition of the rules of depiction of human figures – meaning the observance of the rules of proportions) masterfully
solved in their works the “correct” method of teaching painting – painting from natural models. The Greeks strove to achieve the real image of the object to be depicted, and in doing so they achieved the illusory. This indicates the existence of highly professional art schools. In the 4th century BC, schools existed in Ancient Greece in Thebes, Ephesus and Sikyon – where different teaching methods were used. The artists of the Greek visual arts, rich in diverse artistic styles, despite appropriating and disseminating the experiences of Egyptian art, broke the “strict taboos of the Orient and set out on the path of great discoveries”.

The history of art teaching in art schools is characterised by different methods. For us, the ancient period is particularly important because it formed the basis for the development of art, for the realistic and materialistic perception of reality in science. The creations of ancient art were and are art objects that were the source of inspiration for the artists of the Renaissance epoch. Thus, the role of ancient art in the formation of the academic teaching system of painting is of enormous importance.

„Fanfan La Tulipe“, “ By Christian-jacque Celebrates Its 70th Anniversary

Manana Paitschadse — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0400

Christian-Jacque (1904-1994) occupies a special place in the history of French cinema. His filmography includes 64 feature films and 7 television projects. His last film was a documentary on Marcel Carné – “Carné, l’homme à la caméra” (1985). In 1985, he was honoured with the Cesar d’Honneur for his entire body of work. Christian-Jacque’s first 26 films represent a kind of finger exercises, with the director searching for his own signature and his team of actors and cameramen. It is probably safe to say that Christian-Jacque’s unique signature, his style, his incomparable humour, his special way of handling the camera and the actors begins with his 27th film – with “L’Assassinat du père Noël”, shot in 1941.

In this article, essential moments from Christian-Jacque’s life are presented. However, it also provides an in-depth analysis of the semantics and genre affiliation of his films, as well as their classification.

The most important characteristic of this director’s work is the organic fusion of burlesque, eccentricity and reality, which is a great rarity. Special emphasis is placed on films made after literary models, such as – “Carmen”, 1945, after Prosper Merime, “La Chartreuse de Parme”, 1948, after Stendal, “Nana”, 1955, after the novel by Emile Zola, “La Tupile Noire”, 1964, free adaptation after the novel by Alexandre Dumas (père), among others.

The film “Fanfan la Tulipe” is analysed in detail. “Fanfan la Tulipe”, 1952, is an adaptation of the 18th century folk song written and adapted by Émile Debrauxin 1819, also based on the novel by Pierre-Gilles Veber. The special feature of Christian-Jacque’s cinematography is also that the director mastered different genres in equal measure – comedy, psychological thriller, drama, elegiac novella, burlesque historical films, but also biographical films – the so-called biopics (“La Symphonie fantastique” about the life of Hector Berlioz with the great actor JeanLouis Barrault, among others).

While working on “Bluebeard”, Christian-Jacques discovered a new form of cinematic solutions by introducing the opposition between the subject and the means of expression. In reality, it happened spontaneously, but later ChristianJacque learned to deal with it, and “Fanfan La Tulipe” is the best proof of that. Everything here is well thought out, everything is perfectly worked out. ChristianJacques is so thorough that he could have given a lecture on French history with a magnificent set. And at the end, after filtering these settings through the prism of his ironic imagination, he has his heroes dance to the rhythm of a waltz. This is what makes his story froth like the delicious champagne. He does not even try to spin a parody. On the contrary, he strives to be very serious. It is easy to imagine the thinking of the three scriptwriters: “We make a historical figure out of the name of the hero of the Chancon. Fanfan is wonderful, Fanfan is nobody. Fanfan will go down in French history, revised and corrected by us”. And – that’s what happened! And Christian-Jacque does it like a guignol theatre, so breathtaking! And so this humour becomes a pure French burlesque. Christian-Jacque had a masterful team: scriptwriters – René Wheeler, René Fallet, Christian-Jacque, Henri Jeanson; cinematographer – Christian Matras; composers – Maurice Thiriet and Georges Van Parys; the actors: Gérard Philipe – Fanfan La Tulipe; Gina Lollobrigida – Adeline La Franchise, Marcel Herrand – Louis XV, Olivier Hussenot – Tranche-Montagne, Noёl Roquevert – Fier-à-Bras, Henri Rollan – Le maréchal d’Estrées (de la Comédie Française), Nerio Bernardi – La Franchise, Jean-Marc Tennberg – Monsieur Lebel, Geneviève Page – La Marquise de Pompadour, Lucien Callamand – Le Maréchal de Brandenburg, the voice of the historian has been taken over by the actor of the Comedie Francaise Jean Debucourt.

In the appendix of the article, the literary source of the film is cited bilingually – French and in the Georgian translation by the author of the article.

The Dance (of Pantomime)

Khatuna Damchidze — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0400

Lucian of Samosata – one of the greatest representatives of the writers of Greek antiquity, a satirist, rhetor and pamphleteer, was born in Syria, in the city of Samosata, in what was then the Roman province. Lucian described himself as a Syrian. He was active in the 2nd century. Exact details of his biography are unknown; we draw certain information about his life from his works. Lucian’s extensive output includes philosophical dialogues, satirical and adventurous works. The variety of genres of his writing includes rhetorical works in dialogical and epideictic form. Among his works is the writing “The Dance” (Greek title – Περὶ Ὀρχήσεως, Latin title – De Saltatione) – in the Russian version as“ “About the Dance” (Russian – “О пляске”). This dialogue describes the quarrel between two figures – Lykinos and Kraton. Lycinus (presumably Lucian himself) tries to convince a certain Kraton that the art of dance is delicate and refined, that it is extremely important for an actor to master his bodily movements, even a simple person should be able to do so, because dance is able to give a person great joy and satisfaction. Lykinos tries to prove to Kraton that his views on the art of dance are wrong, and he succeeds in doing so at the end of the script.

Documents Of Georgian Artists And Scientists From The Collections Of The Central State Archive And Museum Of Ukrainian Literature And Art As A Historical Source

Olena Chizhova, Igor Reznik — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0400

The article presents archival documents of Georgian figures of art and science from personal and institutional collections of the Central State Archive-Museum of Literature and Art of Ukraine. The information value of personal and creative documents of famous prose writers, poets, film directors and actors, architects, artists, musical and theatrical figures of Georgia for researchers-historians, art historians, culturologists is analysed. Scientific articles and essays by leading Georgian scholars – literary critics, historians, archaeologists, ethnographers, translators are presented. Such types of archival sources as manuscripts of literary works (novels, stories, collections of folk tales, poems, poems, legends, etc.), epistolary heritage, works of fine art, valuable photographs, personal and official documents of artists, as well as a significant body of scientific works are classified and described. UkrainianGeorgian cultural relations in the field of literary translation, cinematography, theatre, music and scientific research are also investigated. The article will be of interest to historians, art historians, journalists and all lovers of Georgian culture.

The Contrasts Of Light And Dark In Georgian Political Performing Film

Paata Iakashvili — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0400

In his latest writing, author Paata Iakashvili offers the reader his views on the fragments of bitter reality prevailing in Georgian cinematography, spoiled by politics – the “fighting adventure” of Georgians over the last 100 years – struggle for freedom, national independence, preservation of culture and physical existence. To this end, P. Iakashvili selects a few films shot over the 100 years that portray different political realities – starting with a lost film “Berikaoba-Keenoba” (1909), preserved only in the memoirs of Lado Gvishiani, and ending with the film “Khibula”, completed in 2017, which portrays the recent past of the Georgian people. Furthermore, the article examines the following films – “My Grandmother” (1929, directed by Kote Mikaberidze), “April” (1962, directed by Otar Iosseliani), “Repentance” (1984, directed by Tengiz Abuladze), “Nazar’s Last Prayer” (1989, directed by Levan Tutberidze), “The Murdered Soul” (1994, directed by Karaman Mgeladze), “The Executor” (1995, directed by Mikho Borashvili), “Brigands, Chapter VII” (1996, directed by Otar Iosseliani), “Coma” (2014, directed by Archil Kavtaradze), “Khibula” (2017, directed by Giorgi Ovashvili).

The reader is confronted with the oppressive reality, as well as with the political tension that remains unchangeable in time, which is portrayed in the subjects of these films: Adaptation and betrayal, powerlessness and pain. The article emphasises the following aspects: degradation and annihilation of the essence of personality, the deep distance from spiritual values of the occupied homeland. Nevertheless, the tragic history of the Georgian people is not only presented as darkness in the article. It is the contrasts of light and dark (Ital. Chiaroscuro) that give our reality the form of reality, that provide values and clear-sightedness.