Georgian culture

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The culture of Georgia has developed over the country's long history, so today there is a unique national culture and a strong literary tradition based on the Georgian language and the Georgian alphabet .

Antiquity

Golden goblets and ornate swords were already being made in ancient times in what is now Georgia . The country was rich in metallic mineral resources and had been processing them since the 6th century BC. And traded with it. Greek and Roman travelers described paved roads, tiled houses, large cities, and fortresses.

middle Ages

Originally it was said that the Georgian alphabet was invented in the 5th century BC and was founded in 284 BC. It was reformed by King Parnawaz I of Iberia , but modern research suggests that it originated in the 5th century AD, from which the oldest examples were found.

The medieval Georgian culture was from the 4th century heavily on Orthodox Christianity and the Georgian Orthodox Apostolic Church affected and therefore byzantine coined. This promoted and supported the creation of many religious works. These include churches , monasteries , art works such as icons and hagiographies of Georgian saints. Many secular works, such as national history or mythology , were also written.

Even after the Arab conquest in the 7th and 8th centuries, Islamic culture did not influence Georgian culture. However, from this time the Georgian culture developed more and more a rivalry with Byzantium. In the 9th and 10th centuries, literature and painting in particular were used to justify the liberation and unification of Georgia. After the unification of Georgia and its regional strength, the Georgian language spread far beyond the country and was used in many neighboring countries to communicate with strangers.

Ecclesiastic art

Medieval Georgian icons are among the works of art of Orthodox Christian art. Many icons are silver-driven jewelry. Examples are:

  • The icon of 886 from Sarsma
  • The 9th century icon from Zilkani
  • The famous "Miraculous Iberian Icon of Our Lady " (10th century)
  • The 9th century icon from Okona
  • The icon of Our Lady of Chachuli from the 12th century
  • The icon of St. George from the 11th century from Labetschina
  • The icon of St. George from the 11th century from Nakipari
  • The icon from the 12th century from Antschischati
  • The 14th century icon from Ubisa
  • The icon from the 16th century from Alaverdi

Monumental wall paintings can also be found in many Georgian churches.

Ecclesiastic monuments

Chapel at Schiomghwime Monastery

The early one- and three-aisled basilicas (Nekresi, Dsweli Shuamta) from the 4th century stand on the foundations of ancient temples , are small and have an almost square floor plan. Large cross- domed churches were built in the 10th and 11th centuries (Svetitskhoveli, Alawerdi and Bagrati cathedral).

Monuments of Georgian Christian architecture include:

Literature and other written works

Georgian national literature emerged around the 5th century. Initially, mainly hagiographic works were created. The heyday was reached in the 11th to 12th centuries; among the famous written works of Georgia from the Middle Ages are:

Shota Rustaveli, writer of the Middle Ages
Manuscript of "Der Recke im Tigerfell", 16th century

Ioane-Sosimes wrote several monastic chants in the 10th century, including praise and praise of the Georgian language , in which his national sentiments come into play. Other hymn poets were IoaneMintschchi, Ioane Mtbewari, Mikel Modrekili, Esra, Ioane Konkosisde, Kurdanaj, Pilipe Betlemeli and Stepane Tschqondideli.

Other works from the Middle Ages

Well-known Georgian painters were Damiane (13th century), Anania (15th century), Mamuka Tawakaraschiwili (17th century).

The works of the well-known Georgian goldsmiths Beka and Beschken Opisari (11th century) are among the most outstanding of this type of art.

From the 6th century onwards, philosophical considerations also emerged in Georgia, but these have not been preserved. However, their traces can be found in Georgian literature.

Culture of modern Georgia

The first printing house to print in Georgian was established in Italy in the 1820s; the first in Georgia was made in Tbilisi in 1709.

After the annexation of Georgia by Russia in 1801, the native culture was Russified. At the same time, Russian rule opened Georgia to Europe. Tbilisi became the Paris of the East . Enlightenment , liberalism and modern national consciousness flourished in Georgia . The Bagration brothers translate works of European literature into Georgian. In 1848, the Russian viceroy Prince Mikhail Semjonowitsch Voronzow signed the Italian Giovanni Scudieri as chief architect of Tbilisi . In the same year he founded the first theater in Transcaucasia in Tbilisi , and in 1846 the first public library . Countless educational institutions and learned societies go back to him, including the first magazine in Georgian Ziskari , the Ethnographic Museum and a branch of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society .

After 1825, exiles from the failed liberal Decembrist uprising found refuge in Georgia under the aegis of the Russian governor Alexei Petrovich Yermolov . An insurgent regiment from Saint Petersburg , to which a particularly large number of members of the liberal intelligentsia belonged, was deported to Georgia and allied itself with the local upper class.

At the beginning of the 20th century there was a lively exchange between Georgia and Western Europe. Many Georgians studied in Germany, Switzerland or Austria. Modern art and literature quickly reached Georgia. The blue horns were one of them . see also: Georgians in Germany .

Georgia's culture suffered under the rule of the Soviet Union in the 20th century. The state suppressed modern literary movements and provided socialist realism as a binding form. Many Georgian writers fell victim to the Stalinist purges of the 1930s. Others retreated into inner emigration, others despaired. Opposition positions could only be expressed covertly. The writer Konstantine Gamsachurdia (1891–1975) tried to package his criticism in historical novels.

During perestroika , Georgia became a pioneer of cultural change. In the film Die Reue (1984), Tengis Abuladze dealt with the Stalindictatorship. A cultural revival has taken place since Georgia's independence in 1991, but it has been hampered by the economic and political difficulties of the post-Soviet era.

Theater and opera

State Opera House, Tbilisi

Georgia has 58 professional stages, 39 of which are dedicated to drama. Already in the 3rd century BC BC theater was played in Georgia (" Sakhovia "), this until the 17th century. The Georgian National Theater was established in Tbilisi in 1791 , its leading actors were Dimitri Aleksi-Meskhishvili , David Machabeli , David Bagrationi , Dimitri Cholokashvili and others. In 1851 the State Theater for Opera and Ballet was established. The bass player Fyodor Chaliapin made his debut there as high priest in Giuseppe Verdi's Aida . The dancer Georgi Balantschiwadze became one of the most important international choreographers under the name George Balanchine . Artistic director of the Georgian National Ballet has been the prima ballerina of the Moscow Bolshoi Theater , Nino Ananiashvili , since 2004 .

music

Traditional Georgian music is polyphonic . The musical language is diverse and regionally extremely different. The voice guidance and harmony of Georgian singing are unique in the world. The development of Georgian polyphony precedes European polyphony by at least three hundred years. According to new research, in addition to its own notation system, it is based on independent theoretical principles with its own pitch system. In the words handed down in the texts of old songs, one suspects similarities with old Sumeric languages, which are of eminent interest for linguistics. Georgian polyphonic chants have been included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity .

Important Georgian composers of the 20th century are Sachari Paliashvili , who combined European classical and Georgian folk music, Otar Taktakishvili , who also leaned heavily on folk music, Sulchan Zinzadze , Sulchan Nassidze and the avant-garde Gija Kanscheli . Also, Aleksi Matschawariani to name, who sought a synthesis of elements of newer music and Georgian folklore.

The young generation of Georgian composers are drawing attention to themselves with electronic music. These include Nikakoi (born Nika Machaidse ), TBA (born Tusia Beridze ) and Gogi.ge.org (born Gogi Dzodsuaschwili ). Since 2004 the Georgian- British singer , songwriter and musician Katie Melua has been successful, primarily in Western Europe .

architecture

The early architecture of Georgia shows Mesopotamian and later Greek influences. An independent architecture did not appear until the middle of the 12th century. Most of the approximately 5,000 monuments known today are churches, monasteries and castles and date from the period between the 5th and 13th centuries. Churches in particular shape the country's architectural and cultural heritage. The first places of worship imitated the construction of Mesopotamian sacred buildings and had a square nave. Later on, Armenian churches were imitated and central buildings with domes and chapels were built in the side aisles. The structure of the nine-divided square room of most of the church buildings also indicates an Armenian origin. There are also elongated and polygonal floor plans, which obviously come from Georgian architects. On the east side of many church buildings there has been a choir with three apses since the Middle Ages and on the west side an entrance hall with a gallery above . In general the churches are made of stone, but there are also some brick buildings. The design of the church ceilings, on the other hand, is varied. Barrel vaults reinforced with belts , ribbed vaults , polygonal Byzantine cell vaults and pendentives form the end of the sacred buildings. One of the oldest churches in Georgia is the Zion Church in Bolnise, built between 462 and 477. This church still clearly bears Mesopotamian characteristics, such as the cubic construction. Further examples of early Georgian church architecture are the Jvari Church and the Zion Church in Ateni, which also have Mesopotamian influences such as the cubic construction and a square floor plan. With the beginning of the Middle Ages, a cross-shaped church floor plan prevailed. Houses of worship are now clearly being built larger and with more details. Bundle pillars , apses, frescoes and side aisles are the characteristics of this period. Examples are the Bagrati Cathedral in Kutaisi and the Cathedral in Sweti - Tskhovelin, burial place of Georgian kings, both of which were built in the early 11th century. In addition to the sacred buildings, the Narikala fortress in Tbilisi is worth mentioning, which has protected the old town of today's capital since the 4th century.

Museums

The Georgian State Museum was founded in 1845. The Tbilisi Art Museum has brought together many icons from the Middle Ages.

Archeology
The archaeological museum in Wani is important . The city may have been the center of ancient Colchis . In antiquity it was predominantly shaped by Greek colonists, but it also houses important evidence of an indigenous, non-Greek culture. The sites of the ancient city are now an open-air area of ​​the archaeological museum, which can be visited free of charge. Found artefacts or copies of them are exhibited both in the building of the Wani Archaeological Museum and in the State Museum in Tbilisi.

History of literature
An important museum of history of literature is the Alexander Chavchavadze Museum in Telavi, Zinandali district . The Zinandali winery also belongs to this museum .


Wine history The birthplace of Zinandali wine is the Alexander Chavchavadze Museum listed under "History of Literature" . It also houses a number of exhibits that are significant in terms of wine history.

Movie

Main article : Georgian film history

The Georgian State Institute for Theater and Film in Tbilisi

Georgia's cinematic art is internationally recognized. On November 16, 1896, the first cinema was opened in Tbilisi. The first Georgian film was made in 1912 when Wasil Amaschukeli directed Akaki Tsereteli's Journey in Ratscha-Letschchumi . The first Georgian feature film was released in 1916; his name was Kristine and was directed by Alexandre Zuzunawa . The film industry was concentrated in the Grusia film studios. International prizes went to Tengis Abuladze ( Magdana's donkey - Cannes 1956, Reue - Cannes 1987), Otar Iosseliani ( The grape harvest - Cannes 1966, Briganten - Venice 1997), Nana Jordschadze ( 27 Missing Kisses - Brussels 2001), Dito Tsintsadze (shot fear - San Sebastián International Film Festival 2003) and George Owashvili ( The Other Shore - “Golden Apricot” Film Festival 2009, Corn Island - Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2014).

With the decline of the Georgian economy, film production also collapsed. Many Georgian directors now work abroad. Since 2001 a national center for cinematography has taken over the film funding. It is subordinate to the Ministry of Culture. An independent committee of experts selects two feature film projects each year , 75% of which are financed by the center.

literature

At the beginning of the 18th century, Sulchan-Saba Orbeliani renewed Georgia's literature from the spirit of storytelling. His pupil, King Wachtang VI. , set up the country's first printing house in Tbilisi in 1709 and had La Fontaine's fables published . Between 1915 and 1921, the avant-garde around the Blue Horns group flourished , but was suppressed after the communist takeover.

Prominent Georgian writers of the 19th century were Ilia Chavchavadze (The Hermit - 1895), Akaki Tsereteli ( Suliko , The Tutor) and Aleksandre Qasbegi . Important authors of the 20th century were Grigol Robakidze (The Snake Shirt - 1928, The Murdered Soul - 1933) and Konstantine Gamsachurdia (The Right Hand of the Great Master - 1939, David the Builder - 1942–1961). Chabua Amirejibi , Aka Mortschiladze (Journey to Karabakh - 1992, Dogs on Paliaschwili Street - 1995) and Dawit Turashvili (Merani - 1991, Jeans Generation - 2001) are considered to be important contemporary authors . Born in Georgia, Boris Akunin (Fandorin - 2001, Pelagia and the White Dogs - 2003) is Russia's most successful detective writer.

Greatest representatives of Georgian culture in the 19th century

Famous Georgians from different areas of culture (20th to 21st centuries)

actor

Ballet Dancers

Composers

filmmakers

opera singer

painter

Pianists

poet

sculptor

Theater producers

writer

Sports

Well-known Georgian athletes are:

literature

  • Elguja Khintibidze: Georgian Literature in European Scholarship. Adolf M. Hakkert & W. Kos Publisher, Amsterdam 2010
  • Najor Mjaor: History of Architecture. History Culture and architecture from the end of the 5th century to the end of the 18th century. Vol. 2, Berlin 1979, pp. 37-43.
  • Donald Ray fell. The Literature of Georgia. A history . Third, revised and expanded edition. London: Garnett 2010. 366 pp. ISBN 978-0-9535878-8-9 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Heinz Fähnrich: History of Georgia from the beginnings to Mongol rule, pp. 108 ff. Shaker, Aachen 1993, ISBN 3-86111-683-9 .
  2. ↑ https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/georgian-polyphonic-singing-00008