Art of Georgia

Georgia• From the word “georgian”, which

is derived from the Persian word “Gurg or Gorg”, meaning wolf or from the Greek georgios ("farmer," "cultivator of land").

Georgian Christian Architecture

• The Georgian Church – A 4th century architecture in

Bethlehem– is an autocephalous part of the

Eastern Orthodox Church

• The Church of Gavazi– Old Gavazi Church, built in honor of

Saint Mary, is built in the shape of a horseshoe, which is a typical form of early – period architecture in Georgia. 

• The Georgian Monastery– is a monastery near the Nayot

neighborhood of Jerusalem, Israel. It is located in the Valley of the Cross, below the Israel Museum and the Knesset.

• Sioni Cathedral– is a Georgian Orthodox cathedral in

Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. Following a medieval Georgian tradition of naming churches after particular places in the Holy Land, the Sioni Cathedral bears the name of Mount Zion at Jerusalem.

• Akaki Khorava State Theatre  – a Georgian architecture with

Neoclassicism style with elements of Baroque in Georgia.

Georgian Literature

• Martyrdom of the Holy Queen Shushanik– is the first extant piece of Georgian literature.

Purported to have been written between 476 and 483, the earliest surviving manuscript dates from the 10th century. The author is Iakob Tsurtaveli (Jacob of Tsurtavi), a contemporary and participant of the events described in this hagiographic novel.

• Amiraniani– An ancient Georgian epos–  most famous legend of Georgia,

which was born in Mtskheta and spread through the entire Caucasus.

• Eteriani – is a Georgian folk epic romance

which has come down to us in the form of about 70 pieces of oral prose and poetry, probably dating from the 10th or 11th century. Variants also exist in the sister languages: Mingrelian, Laz, and Svan.

• The Georgian Chronicles– is a conventional English name for the principal

compendium of medieval Georgian historical texts Kartlis Tskhovreba (Georgian: ქართლის ცხოვრება), literally "life of Kartli", Kartli being a core region of ancient and medieval Georgia, known to the Classical and Byzantine authors as Iberia. The chronicles are also known as The Georgian Royal Annals, for they were essentially the official corpus of history of the Kingdom of Georgia

Georgia’s Famous Painters,

Performers and Sculptors

• Performing arts of Georgia– in a crisis because of limitations

imposed by language hinder the art from finding a wider audience. Several ballet dancers, opera singers, and theater directors have achieved success in other countries. However, in Tbilisi, performance art and dramatic art are alive and rich.

• Ramaz Chkhikvadze– was a Georgian film and theater

actor. First appearing in the 1954 film "The Dragonfly" (Chrichina), he starred in over 60 films during his career.

• Dodo Abashidze– “Dodo”– was a Soviet Georgian film actor

and director. He appeared in 50 films between 1954 and 1988.

• Avtandil Makharadze– was born in Batumi. Active since

the 1970s, Makharadze played Joseph Stalin in the 2005 BBC TV series Archangel in which he starred opposite Daniel Craig.

• Graphic arts– Graphic arts are popular, and many

young artists are demonstrating high levels of creativity and skill. Many artists sell their work in the West.

– Paintings are mainly very detailed and full of elegant colors

• Elene Akhvlediani– was a 20th century Georgian

female painter, graphic artist, and theater decorator. Akhvlediani is famous for her depictions of Georgian towns, for her illustrations for the works of Ilia Chavchavadze and Vazha-Pshavela, and for designing plays in the Marjanishvili Theater in Tbilisi, Georgia.

• Sulkhan Tsintsadze– (23 August 1925 in Gori — 15

September 1991 in Tbilisi) was one of Georgia's foremost composers.

• Dimitri Arakishvili– was a Georgian composer and

ethnomusicologist considered as one of the founding fathers of modern Georgian music. He was also known by his Russified name Dimitry Ignatyevich Arakchiev

– Born in Vladikavkaz (now North Ossetia, Russia), he graduated, in 1901, from the School of Music and Drama operated by Moscow Philharmonic Society where he was tutored by Alexander Grechaninov and Willem Kes.

• Sculptors– BEKA AND BESHKEN OPIZARI (12th

century)• Georgian goldsmiths and silversmiths • were outstanding masters of the

traditional techniques of embossing and chasing in silver gilt

• produced a number of uniquely ornamented icons that set a standard for the subsequent masters

The Chasing of the Anchis Khati

and thesilver chasing of the Tskarostavi Gospel