Elene Akhvlediani, Georgian Artist

Elene Akhvlediani, her beloved Tbilisi (c. 1970)

Daily life, cultural diversity

I discovered the beauty of the country of Georgia through the paintings of Elene Akhvlediani (1898-1975). She is one of the many hidden artists that Christa Zaat's online "Female Artists in History" series discovered and has promoted. I knew a little bit about Georgia through Peace Corps Volunteers who had served there and loved it. Elene Akhvlediani captures the spirit of this interesting country through her colorful and lyrical art. Georgia the country is on my mind, maybe as a travel destination in the not too-distant future. 

The country's name, by the way, comes from the Russian word Gruzia, which is derived from the Persian and Turkish versions of the name George, Gorj and Gurju. The American Georgia on the other hand was named after King George II of England, who granted the state its charter in 1732. .

In their native tongue, Georgians call themselvers Kartveli and their country Sakartvelo. The Arabs, Ottomans, and Persians--who ruled over the country at various times until the Russians took control in 1801--chose to name Sakartvelo after its patron saint George, whose image dotted the art and architecture of the region.

What a dreamland.

Elene Akhvlediani, a fabulous and prolific artist, was born in Tbilisi, the capital and largest Georgian city. As a young woman she studied in Italy and Paris, drawing the favorable attention of many of the 20th-century artists of her time. She remains a well-known and celebrated artist in her country for her depictions of Georgian towns, her illustrations of the works of writers Llia Chavchavadze and Vasha-Pshavela, and for the play sets and costumes she designed for the Marjanishvili Theater in Tbilisi. The Elene Akhvlediani House Museum is full of her art, paintings, indigenous crafts she collected from different regions of Georgia, and various objects and items of historical interest. It is now a popular tourist destination. It beckons. 

Georgia is a former Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) of the Soviet Union, like Ukraine. It achieved independence in 1991 when the Soviet Union broke apart. Georgia has a long cultural heritage, unified roots in the Middle Ages, geopolitical divisions and trauma, a complicated history, like all the former SSRs. 

It is located on the Black Sea at the crossroads between Eastern Europe and western Asia, Russia and the Middle East, part of the Caucasus region. It's been fought over for generations, coveted for its strategic position and its remarkable natural beauty, fertile valleys, and near Mediterranean climate. (see sources below)

Wine country

I also learned that It is one of the oldest wine-producing countries in the world. Georgians say they invented wine, a tradition going back to 6000 BC! It's not surprising that local traditions involving wine are entwined in Georgia's culture. This certainly motivates my interest in travelling there, to see the vineyards, learn the traditions, and sample the wines. It's a UNESCO Cultural Heritage site as well. Tourism is now one of its largest economic generators, helping to lesson poverty and increase its standard of living. I'm all for that.          

The built environment. Snuggled into the mountains. 

Today, Georgia is a Parliamentary Republic, still evolving toward greater self-determination. Many commentators think that Georgia has developed its self-governance further than other SSRs, largly due to its long-time cultural freedoms and some forward-thinking leadership. The transition hasn't been easy.  

Sadly, as the country looked west to integration with the European Union, Putin's Russia took to cyber war and armed conflict to divert the attention of the Republic of Georgia, now its official name, and to undermine its progress. Russia invaded Georgia in 2008, a precursor of its vicious Hybrid War and invasion of Ukraine in 2014.

Post-Soviet Georgia suffered economic crises as well as secessionist wars in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, ramped up by Russian disinformation and propaganda wars. Russia increased its meddling in the former soviet republics, which continues to this day. Putin is the expert in Hybrid War, the 21st century version of war. 

The artist and a cityscape (early 1970s).

It was during this time that Peace Corps Volunteers in Georgia were evacuated, a traumatic experience for all of them. Some of them then served in Ukraine; I'll always remember their stories. They rhapsodized about the friendliness and hospitality of the people, the beauty of the mountains and valleys, the great interest in learning English, the vibrant cities and architecture, the music, the food. They loved the various cultural influences from the past, when the Mongols, the Ottoman Empire, and Persia, as well as Germany and Russia, ruled over Georgian territories.   

Georgia highways and byways around the
Caucasion mountains. 

 

A self-portrait, in the House
Museum in Tbilisi

Akhvlediani lived through many chapters of Georgia's difficult and often tortured history, but she didn't live to see its independence movement. I have no doubt she would have been a warrior for independence. She imbibed Georgia's  unique beauty, its heart and soul, its shapes and textures, its built and natural environments, and that's what she painted. 

Her paintings have a contemporary look and feel, with the Georgian landscape always present, enlightened, alive.  Before her death she received some of the Soviet Union's highest arts and culture awards. She organized a women painters group, and mentored and encouraged the next generations of Georgian artists. She died suddenly on December 30, 1975, during a celebratory exhibition of the women's artist group. 

Winter in Tbilisi. Picasso admired her
winter scenes at a Paris exhibition
of her work. Such a lovely connection
to contemplate.

Akhvlediani didn't live to see her beloved Georgia free from the Soviet Union, but her art served as a platform for Georgia's struggle for self-definition and autonomy.  As a former Georgian PCV taught us as we raised our glasses of vodka for a toast:  "Mshvidoba," which means "for peace."  It is our wish for all the former Soviet Socialist Republics where we served. The Republic of Georgia is a beacon of hope.                            

A tourism photo (Almay) that looks like an Akhvlediani
painting. Georgia has blossomed into a new global 
tourism hotspot! 

Some sources:

1. https://georgianjournal.ge/culture/36001-important-facts-about-georgian-painter-elene-akhvlediani.html

2. https://www.peacecorps.gov/georgia/about/   

3. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17301647

4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgUTglKJLdw

5. https://www.cntraveler.com/story/republic-of-georgia-welcomes-tourist-with-the-ultimate-airport-surprise

6. https://www.worldnomads.com/travel-safety/middle-east/georgia/georgia-internal-travel

7. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/georgia/articles/facts-about-georgia/

8. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17301647

9. https://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-georgian+republic#:. Georgian wine. .

10. https://foodfuntravel.com/vineyards-in-georgia-europe-georgia-wineries-map/ Georgia wineries

11, https://www.cntraveler.com/story/a-guide-to-georgian-wine-country

Kakheti, Georgia, wine country. Getty image

12.  https://transcaucasiantrail.org/en/about/the-caucasus/#:~:text =The%20Caucasus%2C%20a%20mountainous%20isthmus,%2C%20Armenia%2C%20Turkey%20and%20Iran.  About the Caucasus region

13. What is Hybrid War? https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/4676298606647372212/6409213330016232664

14.  https://georgiaabout.com/2014/06/29/the-elene-akhvlediani-house-museum/

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Elene Akhvlediani, some images from the Baia Gallery that sells her works and from her House Museum in Tbilisi, a popular tourist destination. A georgia town, street scenes, daily life. Note different architectural styles. Such a different view of "Soviet" daily life from the darker versions we usually see. The hillsides dotted with homes and buildings make me wonder about treking in the mountains! But wandering through the vineyards, so ancient, so full of tradition.  How wonderful that would be.  

The Elene Akhvlediani House museum,Tbilisi