Love romance with humor and Georgian flavor in the naive painting of Zurab Martiashvili

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Georgian art, however, like the entire culture of this country, is unique in its form. And once again you are convinced of this when you are faced with the work of both old masters of the past and contemporary Georgian artists. The pictorial art, born under the influence of geographical, historical and mental factors, has become a vivid reflection of the admiration of the Georgian nation for the values of life and national traditions, where the main component is family, friendship and work. And today in our publication we will present to our reader a unique gallery of works, saturated with national flavor, subtle humor and touching romanticism, from a world-famous Georgian artist Zurab Martiashvili.

Traditionally, Georgians believe that guests are a gift from heaven, and therefore their friendliness and extraordinary courtesy instantly win the heart of any wanderer. It seems that our reader, traveling through the artist's virtual gallery, will feel this in full.

The peculiar work of the Georgian master, which is inseparable from the cult attitude of Georgians to their history, to national symbols and traditions of a ritualistic nature, from the first minute literally attract the attention of the audience with their national color, stylized decorativeness, bright colors and thoughtful plots, mostly based on biblical symbolism. … Curiously, at first glance, the simplicity of Zurab Martiashvili's plots is very deceptive, behind each of them there is a completely childish wisdom.

The artist himself defines the style of his works as naive art. Although some critics are inclined to call the artist's work primitivism. This begs the question - what is the difference? However, there is no difference. Indeed, by and large, both "primitivism" and "naive art" are usually used to designate fine art, which is distinguished by its simplicity, clarity and formal spontaneity of the pictorial language. However, in view of the fact that in the Russian language the word “primitivism” has a somewhat negative connotation, the more common term “naive art” is often used.

Due to the peculiarity of the artistic image of the images of the main characters of Zurab, his paintings cannot be confused with the paintings of other artists - he found his unique "trick", thanks to which he acquired the author's face and developed a unique style. The philosophy of all facets of the artist's work is expressed in childlike spontaneity, in the expressiveness of forms and a festive riot of colors combined with the beauty and flexibility of lines, as well as in subtle notes of national humor inherent only to Georgians. This is the artistic language in which the artist communicates with his audience.

All the whims of the master's imagination are nothing more than an expression of love for people, for a beloved work, and the simplification of forms is a deeply painful technique that only enhances the meaning inherent in the picture. Yes, there are many naive observations in Martiashvili's works, but aren't they proof of the author's vivid artistic individuality?

A little about the artist

The second generation artist Zurab Martiashvili was born in 1982 in Tbilisi in the family of the painter Vakhtang Martiashvili. He was the second son to follow in the footsteps of his talented father. Zurab, like his brother David, two years later graduated from the School of Arts for especially gifted children with a degree in Geo Art.

In 1999-2004 he attended lectures at the Tbilisi Art Academy. Since 2005 he has been professionally engaged in painting. And today the work of the Georgian artist, who currently lives in the capital of Ukraine - Kiev, has a huge number of admirers all over the world. His solo exhibitions have always been a great success. So, the works of Zurab Martiashvili are in private collections in the USA, Germany, Italy, Poland, France, England, Holland, Singapore, Japan, Austria. And, of course, this geography will expand over the years.

By the way, the artist himself and his amazing paintings can often be seen on weekends on Andriyivsky Descent in Kiev. Agree, it is simply impossible to pass by without stopping and not admiring the master's creations.

P. S. David Martiashvili (born 1978)

As mentioned above, David is the elder brother of Zurab. He is also a primitivist artist with a vibrant Georgian color. The aesthetics of this school, creatively realized and rethought by him, became a motivation for the search for new means of artistic expression. The synthesis of primitive forms with complex painting technique also has its admirers.

The artist considers his creative credo: painting should have a positive effect and bring psycho-emotional pleasure. A rich palette of colors, a special writing technique that he took over from his father and enriched with his talent - this is the way to success and recognition.

And in conclusion, I would like to note that the sunny country of Georgia has always been distinguished by its rich and original national artistic culture. And her unique artistic traditions for centuries have been fruitfully reflected both in folk art and in professional art. Continuing the theme of talented painters, immigrants from Georgia, we bring to your attention the publication Pictures of Contemporary Georgian Artists: Interweaving of National and European Traditions.