Travel Guide to Georgia

Georgian Artist – Lado Gudiashvili

Anna U. — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 08:31:39 +0000

Lado Gudiashvili (1896–1980) was a XX century painter from Georgia. Gudiashvili was born in Tiflis on March 18 (30), 1896 into a family of a railroad employee. He studied in the Tiflis School of Sculpture and Fine Arts (1910-1914), and later in Ronson’s Private Academy in Paris (1919-1926). For a while, Gudiashvili belonged to a group of Georgian poets called “The Blue Horns” (1914-1918), who were trying to connect organically the Georgian national flavor with the creative structure of French symbolism. In Paris, he was a constant customer of the famous “La Ruche,” a colony of painters where he met I. Zuloaga, Amedeo Modigliani, Natalia Goncharova, and Mikhail Larionov. Gudiashvili’s work was greatly influenced by Niko Pirosmanashvili (a Georgian primitivist painter).

Filled with the charm of Georgian life, the painter’s early works combine dramatic grotesque with the charm of poetic mystery (“Live Fish,” 1920, Art Museum of Georgia). Closeness to the traditions of old Caucasian and Persian art was amplified upon his return to Georgia in 1926. Gudiashvili’s colors become warmer, and the perception of the world as a theater grew stronger (many of Gudiashvili’s paintings were either inspired by operas and ballets or serve to depict actresses in costumes). Like his compatriots (Grigol Robakidze, Konstantine Gamsakhurdia), Gudiashvili freely used mythological allegories (“The Walk of Seraphita,” 1940), the center of which was a graciously beautiful woman imagined as the mysterious “Goddess of the Earth”. Gudiashvili also worked as a monumentalist, painting anew the Kashveti church in Tbilisi in 1946, for which he was expelled from the Communist Party and fired from the Tbilisi Academy of Fine Arts, where he had been teaching since 1926. In the voluminous “antifascist cycle” of Indian ink drawings Gudiashvili became a kind of “Georgian Goya”: beastlike monsters surrounded the ruins of art and naked “goddesses” conveyed the ideas of the death of culture. Lado Gudiashvili worked also as a book illustrator, cinema and theater decorator. He died on July 20, 1980 in Tbilisi. There is a statue depicting him in Tbilisi, nearby the house where he lived, in the courtyard of Kashveti church, that he has painted. A house-museum will be opened in his appartment soon.

Russian TV-channel made a short programme about an exhibition of his Paris-cycle of art, held in “Russian Museum”, St.Petersburg on 1st of July, 2010:

World Congress of Vine and Wine in Tbilisi (20th-25th of June, 2010)

Anna U. — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 21:54:49 +0000

From 20th to 25th of June, 2010, Tbilisi hosted 33rd World Congress of Vine and Wine and 8th General Assembley of International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV). The themes “Vine and Wine” and “Tradition and Innovation” were discussed on the highest enology levels, while Georgia had an ultimate chance to represent itself to the world as historical and geographical cradle of viniculture. The delegates had a very interesting programme to work on, while the accompanying people (from Brazil, Chile, Ireland, Belgium, Spain, France and etc.) enjoyed hald-day and one-day tours to various destinations, all of which are easy-doable anytime of the year…

Kvevri – special clay vessels, used for wine-storage in Georgia:

Ananuri Architectural Complex at Jinvali Water Reservoir

Anna U. — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 11:34:05 +0000

The Ananuri fortified ensemble, dating from the XVII century, is located on the left bank of river Aragvi, along the famous Georgian Military Highway, about 66km from Tbilisi. It incorporates a circuit wall with turrets, a porch, the Church of the Assumption, the minor Church of Gvtaeba, a tower with a stepped pyramidal roof, a single-nave Church Mkurnali, tower Sheupovari, a bell-tower and a spring. This architectural complex, that has witnessed several serious battles throughout its history, is located in a magnificent setting at the very shore of Jinvali Water Reservoir. Some of the Eristavis (dukes) of Aragvi river valley are buried in and outsite one of the churches. The Church of the Assumption, built in 1689, has richly decorated facades with the fine relief carvings featuring human, animal and floral images, including a carved Northern entrance. It also contains the remains of beautiful frescoes. The wall paintings, executed between the XVII and the XVIII centuries, contain the depiction of Thirteen Assyrian Fathers (prominent ecclesiastical figures), which represent a convincible evidence for the study of the iconography of these figures. In 2007, the Ananuri Architectural Complex has been put on the tentative list for inclusion into the UNESCO World Heritage Site program.

Reaching Ananuri Architectural Complex and Jinvali Water Reservoir is easy via Georgian Military Highway – only an hour non-stop drive from Tbilisi is needed to dive into harmony of this beauty…

Jinvali Water Reservoir:

Churches of Ananuri, as seen from the tower Sheupovari:

Ornaments on the facade of the Church of the Assumption:

Uncle Joe’s Statue in Gori

Anna U. — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 22:16:06 +0000

On June 25th, just last Friday – the only remaining in former Soviet Union untouched full-body statue of Josef Stalin was taken down in his hometown in Georgia. While visiting with a tour-group the downtown of Gori on June 26th, 2010 – the day after, we could only see the remaining bare pedestal infront of the city council building. The statue itself is said to be undergoing some kind of restoration, after which it will be installed in the courtyard of the House-Museum of Josef Jughashvili (Stalin’s real last name), that functions in Gori since very 1953, when it was first open. Gori’s main avenue, called after Stalin, will also change it’s title soon…

Stalin’s Statue in downtown Gori, until June 25, 2010:

And here you can see, how it looks like now.

Black Sea Jazz Festival (July 15-18, 2010)

Anna U. — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 21:22:45 +0000

Fourth Black Sea Jazz Festival will be held in Batumi, Adjara from 15th to 18th of July, 2010.

A well known Georgian company “Eastern Promotion” will be oranizing and hosting this festival again. Several world-known bands are announced as to be taking part in it, amongst them are: Mike Stern Band, Randy Brecker, Roy Hargrove Quintet, RH Factor (USA), New Heavies (UK), Hugh Masekela & Band (ZA), NiMo (CA-LT) and Dave Weckl & Chris Mihn Doky (USA) and etc., including some Georgian bands naturally. The festival will take place at the tennis courts of Batumi and will be sponsored and patronaged by the Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia.

See you at the Black Sea Jazz!