Monumental Georgian Sculpture

8/10/2019 Monumental Georgian Sculpture

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chamois between them, a bear pursuing a chamois apse capital4, the head of a bull capital of the

baptistery4, which were well nown in the pagan * and, in particular, in pre-Christian Georgia.Several types of rend are used in the )olnisi Sioni, though most of decoration is flat. !he

e'pressiveness and sill with which the animals are depicted point to a long tradition.

!he "scension and the Glorification were very popular sub*ects in early feudal Georgia, with the"scension of Christ in the si'th-century church of !etri !saro, the "scension of Christ and the

Glorification. of the 7irgin in the si'th-century $vemo )olnisi )asilica and the Glorification of

the 7irgin in the si'th-century church of &dsani. !his theme was usually above the entrance, aplace of honour in the church. !his was traditional in the &astern Christian world, and can be

found in churches in many areas8 the architrave in the church of &l-Moala fourth-fifth century4,

a monastery in )auit si'th century4, in &gypt, the portal in the church of $hod6ha $alesi in "siaMinor fifth century4, the architraves in the $anashir and 5ebed churches In Syria si'th century4.

Of course, compositions differ completely, for though sculptors based themselves on established

iconography they introduced their own variations in the details or the whole composition.

In the stone reliefs at $vemo )olnisi, &dsani, !etri !saro the figures stand out slightly from the

bacground in clear contours, with a strong emphasis on line and smooth surface. Close straight

and bow-shaped lines of the folds evenly cover the surface and give an impression of decorativegraphic ornament. eliefs are relatively small against the massive buildings. !he masters

apparently imitated the wors of other dimensions.

In the fifth and si'th centuries bas-reliefs are used on the interior, and not the fa9ade. )ut by the

nineties of the si'th century we see this tacled brilliantly on the :vari Church In Mtsheta.

!his church is dominated by its fa9ade, whose strongly segmented large reliefs blend completely

with the architecture to create an Impression of monumentality. !he architects ornamented the

east and south fronts of the building which are open to view.

!here are three reliefs symmetrically placed *ust above the windows on the central three-edged

pro*ection of the altar apse. !hey have common features both in style and sub*ect. Christ is the

centre and the visual focus and neeling titors - &rismtavar Stephanos, the uler of $artli, and#emeter and "drnerce, of the same stoc-are turned towards ;im with hovering angels showing

them the way to Christ. In composition with the emphasis on the central panel it resembles a

tryptich, though it essentially retains the principles of monumental sculpture.

!he central edge of the apse on the southern fa9ade has a portrayal of $abul Stephanos before his

patron- saint St. Stephan the #iacon. !he vertical division of the fa9ade is emphasised by a

second relief on the drum of the dome, along the central a'is, which is supposed to be a portraitof the builder of the church, neeling in prayer. !his relief is no longer in Its original place, and

the niches are occupied by the very damaged titors( group. !he doorways are accentuated by

purely religious compositions. On a main entrance tympanum, along the central a'is, we find the"scension of the Cross, and on the architrave of the side door the "scension of Christ. !he

sculptures mae a harmonious whole.


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!he titors( reliefs are uniue, for although some sub*ects and details show a steady &astern

Sassanian influence, in particular the position of neeling figures, the stylised spiral hair andbeards, they show the master(s firm artistic independence.

!he relief on the east fa9ade has something in common with early Christian altar mosaics, where

"rchangels introduce historical characters to Christ, as in the St. 7italy Church in avenna. !hesomewhat conventional composition in the altar conch, in the :vari Church it is on the outer wall

of the apse and is very original. !he artist(s independence also shows in his "scension of the

Cross, a very individual interpretation of a traditional early Christian theme in which he adopts itto the shape of the tympanum. !he hovering angels have very fluid movement. !here is a rhythm

to the folds of the robes and the roundness of the figures is emphasised. !he movement of Christ

and figures of the "rchangels are fluid and their poses are free. "ll the figures of the compositionare well-proportioned and faces and clothes show the plastic treatment of the stone surface.

!hese features, which distinguish :vari from the rather flat earlier reliefs, show a creative

approach to the ;ellenic tradition.

!he :vari reliefs place Georgian sculpture among the best in si'th-seventh century early feudal

art.

!he facade of the Sioni Church in "teni seventh century4 too is decorated with bas-reliefs.

&arly seventh century church in Martvili has very different reliefs from the :vari Church. ;ere

the sub*ects are made into a whole in two decorative frie6es along the three-edged apses of the

east and west fa9ades. Ornamental branches, leaves and bunches of grapes, frame and unite themall.

!he reliefs have obvious semantic affinity. !he compositions of the west frie6e show warrior-

saints defeating a man and a snae, Samson, conuering a lion, the "scension of Christ, #aniil inthe


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often imitated them Georgian art too its own road. On the whole, the linear, decorative style

which derives from &astern influences and local tradition prevails in the early Christian fifth toseventh century Georgian sculpture.

!he eighth and ninth centuries were a period of transition. !his is seen in the late seventh century

and was still visible into the middle of the tenth century. !here was a search for new forms inarchitecture, and in eighth- and ninth-century churches the ornamentation on fa9ades is simple

and even meagre. Ornaments and bas-reliefs are sparsely used, and they decorate walls over

windows in !siroli4, doorways !elovani4 or blan walls as in >bisi and Opisa4.

!he treatment of the sub*ects was much simplier. #ecorative primitive images too over from the

earlier almost natural human figures. !he stone bacground around the figures was cut out so thatwhile hey seemed to pro*ect, they did not brea the flat stone surface. In line with this two-

dimensional approach, all figures are face on or half-face and often both. ;uman character was

reduced to a convention to symbolise the Idea of the scene. !he smaller reliefs, such as a stela

from >saneti, the slabs and small columns of the altar screen from Gveldesi, and fa9ade reliefsfrom the Opisa church or tympanum from )or*omi, were done in this manner.

!he relief of "shot $uropalat from Opisa is the most characteristic e'ample of the transitionalperiod. It Is highly e'pressive and emotional, the head and hands are emphasised by si6e.

)etween the eighth and ninth centuries Georgian sculpture lost imitation aside. G. ?.Chubinashvili taes the view that this was a progressive process, for it cleared the way and

stimulated the development of new forms.

%est &uropean sculpture was going through the same @primitive@ stage in this period-between the

seventh and ninth centuries. !he flat and graphic approach in Germany, Italy or Spain shows

surprising affinity. Continuous development toward more plastic forms in sculpture originated

from this ancient stage in %estern &urope, and also in Georgia, where it continued into the tenthand eleventh centuries.

!he interest in decorating buildings Increasing in tenth-century Georgia and ornamental carvingand bas-reliefs became more freuent,

!here were flat reliefs come across in the first half of the tenth century and even in the second

half, as we see in the churches in ?adarba6evi, $vais-:vari, "savreti, )urnasheti, Shepya, butother tenth-century reliefs show definite progress in developing three-dimensional forms. #epth

of the bacground became very important, as in the window surrounds in +etobani church or a

fragment from a slab from Suhumi, and figures are freed from the constraining surface of the

relief. !he edges are more rounded and figures pro*ect and contrast with the bacground, yetforming an indivisible whole. !he @archaic@ stage in sculpture is already seen in the first uarter

of the tenth century in the relief from !beti the representation of "shot $uh, the builder of the

church4, and becomes more common in the mid- and late tenth century the churches in!sarostavi, 7ale, $orogho, etc.4. ;ere the suat figures with heavier proportions and big heads

are static and motionless.

!he themes are mainly religious8 the scenes from tile Old and ?ew !estament, and portrayals of

saints, though historical characters were also beginning to appear. "s in the early feudal epoch,


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they were usually feudal nobles, members of the tsar(s family, the titors who initiated and

donated the building. $titors were often represented holding a model of the church in their hands,before Christ and saints, blessing the building, and also on their own.

!hey are scattered around uite freely. !hus, in $umurdo, the architect put !sarina Guranduht

and her brother


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!he high development of the eleventh-century Georgian culture was determined by the overall

situation in the country. !he independent feudal principalities of the eighth century now unitedinto a single state. !he centralised monarchy contributed to the increased wealth and power of the

country. In the eleventh and twelfth century, Georgia was a powerful state, active in political and

cultural life of the "sia Minor.

Socially and politically, it was a fruitful epoch and there was a brilliant upsurge in every sphere of

life. !he fine arts flourished, monumental mural cycles decorated the churches, manuscripts were

illustrated and richly illuminated, and wonderful chasing, especially on gold, were made.

!he first half of the eleventh century was a complete stage in the development of Medieval

Georgian architecture. =eatures that had only begun to mae themselves felt in the previouscentury matured. "rchitects aimed at monumental and impressive buildings. !he decoration of

the fa9ade acuired primary importance. It was very rich, especially compared with the first half

of the tenth century. !he ornamental motifs are diversified, and masterly e'ecution reveals the

ine'haustible inventiveness and sill of Georgian master craftsmen. !he fa9ades segmented byarcature frie6es, uite common at that time, complete the harmonious decor of famous eleventh-

century churches in ?iortsminda, Svetitshoveli and Samtavisi.

!he decoration of the churches was now treated as a whole, bas-reliefs are its components, and

neighbouring with ornamental carving, prominently stand out as semantic and artistic accents.

!he ?iortsminda Church built in the last years of )argat the !hird(s reign till D/4 in themountainous regions of the %estern Georgia, in acha, is a good e'ample.

!here are monumental compositions in relief on the pediments, above the central high decorativeeast, west and south arches. !hey crown the decoration on every fa9ade in ?iortsminda. "nd

only then do the compositions in the tympanum of the richly decorated doors south, west and

north walls4 catch the eye. !he sculptural decor in ?iortsminda is integral in idea. !he sub*ects -

Christ as a :udge west fa9ade4, the !ransfiguration east fa9ade4, the #oomsday and the"scension, of the Cross south fa9ade4 - all convey the idea of the !heophany, the divine

greatness of Christ, associated with ;is second advent. !he composition of the "scension of the

Cross differs from the traditional early Christian version. Instead of two angels It has four. !heirbent bodies are seen between the hands of the cross. "n analogous composition, though in a

round frame, can be found in the eleventh- century church in $atshi. Such a version of the

"scension is not seen outside Georgia. It is the utterly original wor of local masters.!he ?iortsminda fa9ades contain more varied reliefs. !he maer of the pediment relief must

have been older for here figures are represented as massive undivided blocs, with the typical

large heads and hands and e'pressive lines and contours of that generation, while the reliefs on

the portals are late in style. !he movements there are fluid and the postures diverse. !hecompositions are highly harmonious, the figures have fine outlines and the smooth folds of their

garments accentuate their movements.

One is *ustified in speaing of the ?iortsminda fa9ade sculpture as monumental and decorative.

=ragments of the sculptural carving of other early eleventh century churches - $atshi, Sveti-

!shoveli, Samtavisi - have survived though not in their original places4 and even there show thesame approach.


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!here were many bas-reliefs on the fa9ades of the grandiose Sveti-!shoveli Cathedral, built by

the architect "rsuisd6e in Mtsheta between DD and DE2. It was damaged throughout thecenturies and was restored and done up over an e'tended period so that parts of the decoration

have come down to us in a distorted form, though the whole building still creates an integral

impression. !he pediment relief of the western fa9ade depicting the right hand with the angle bar,

the builder(s mar, the angels and an eagle and a lion now on the east fa9ade, not in their originalplaces4 can be attributed to the eleventh century. !he composition in the pediment, i. e. in the

highest point between the decorative arch and cornice in the west crowns the integrated

decoration of the cathedral.

!he arrangement is lie the "scension and the #oomsday, a monumental figure of Christ

enthroned Is in the centre, with flying angels on either side, one holding a *ug of communionwine, the blood of Christ, the other a round loaf, the symbolic body of Christ. !he &ucharist, one

of the main dogmas of the Christianity, Is economically e'pressed in the Sveti-!shoveli

Cathedral bas-relief. !he &ucharist, Christ(s sacrifice for the sins of man, has a great deal in

common with the #oomsday, symbolising ;is glory. !he plant ornaments on the fa9ade are tiedin with the central idea, the ancient !ree of


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=a9ade decoration designed as a complete whole first appeared in %estern &urope in the eleventh

and twelfth centuries, rather later than in Georgia.>nlie mature Medieval Georgian sculpture, decoration has been developed in omanesue

architecture. In many respects the difference was dictated by different architecture, the difference

between the omanesue basilica and the cross-domed Georgian church.

!he omanesue artists preferred sculptural decor surrounded by ornamental carving, with the

main decoration concentrated around the portal. &ven when the walls were brought in, they did

not have their own individual focus but were rather used to emphasise the portal, the compositionwithin tympanum above the entrance, in particular. !he decorations were not evenly distributed

on all the sides of the church, but grouped around the main west entrance.

Comparing the overall composition of the eleventh- century Georgian and twelfth-century

omanesue architectural plastics one should bear in mind the scale correlation of the building

and its decor. omanesue cathedrals in =rance, such as the massive 7esele and Oten, are much

larger than the Georgian churches, so that inevitably the decorations arc much grander anddiverse in forms and sub*ects.

"s was mentioned in the discussion of the reliefs at ?iortsminda, the various themes wereunited into a single whole with a common idea, the Glorification of Christ, yet each was

independent and of eual importance.

!he decorative sculpture in a omanesue cathedral is also Integrated into a whole. !he grand

composition in the portal tympanum being its semantic nucleus, all the rest figures and scenes

develop the central theme. So, individual pieces of sculptural decoration in a omanesuecathedral are in different relations than in a Georgian church. " main and dependent compositions

can be clearly singled out.

!he learned writings on the sub*ect point to the composition of the "scension in the earlyChristian churches, all concerned with the !heophany, as precursing the sculptures in the

eleventh and twelfth-century omanesue cathedrals. Indeed the &astern Christian influence is

clear, though there are no intermediate lins to prove a direct genetic relationship ". Grabar, F.Christe4.

!here is enough Georgian material to enable us to trace the development of a local ancientChristian tradition in the sub*ects of the mature Medieval bas-reliefs. !he common theme of the

si'th to eighth century, mainly concerned with the "scension, did not fall into disuse completely

late. It remained popular in Georgia and recurs in the monumental painting of the late Middle

"ges, on the domes and vaults of the churches, and in the sculpture, bas-reliefs in the tenth-century $hahuli Church and eleventh-century $atshi and ?iortsminda Churches4. In

$hahuli and ?iortsminda it is placed above the entrance.

!he idea of the !heophany, i. e. the second advent of Christ, which presupposes the Glorification

of Christ, permeats the whole decorative system of the ?iortsminda Church. !he !heophany is

e'pressed in a traditional composition of the "scension.In relief of the western fa9ade of the Sveti-!shoveli Cathedral, which is presented similar to the

"scension type composition, the theme is connected with the &ucharist.


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!he main idea of the !heophany, the idea of the Glorification, of Christ, associated with thee'pectations for the second advent, manifests itself very clearly in the sculptural decorations of

Georgian cult architecture and omanesue cathedrals of the mature Middle "ges. )ut the

Interpretation varies, different aspects are stressed and different scenes and characters are

favoured. In the Glorification. Ma*estic #omini4 in the omanesue cathedrals in =rance Christ,seated in a mandorla surrounded by the symbols of the &vangelists, dominates the scene. "s in

the omanesue altars and in illuminated manuscripts this main theme gets additional characters,

such as the twenty-four &lders of the "pocalypse, and is generally connected with the ideas fromthe "pocalypse.

In the mature Medieval Georgian sculpture, the Glory of Christ is embodied in the "scension. ofthe Cross and in !heophany compositions of the "scension. type, In a heraldic composition of the

Saviour and a horseman on either side, or connected with the &ucharist. !he common theme

appears in various Georgian and omanesue versions. !he sculptures differ in style and

techniue. "nd even where similar e'pressive techniues are used, they have emotional featuresof their own. #isproportionate figures, e'pressive movement and gestures and line are present in

Georgian sculpture of the period, though never as e'aggerated, as in the omanesue sculpture.

!here the disturbance of figures, proportions and natural relationships between them is verypronounced, to e'press ecstatic and highly dramatic situation. !his is at Its most e'treme in the

sculpture in twelfth-century =rench cathedrals. omanesue reliefs are tense and strained beside

the calm of Georgian sculpture.

!he animal motifs, too, show the different point of view. !he Georgian masters often use animals

in their ornamental designs using their shapes in the design, while each figure still retains itsintegrity through dynamic and e'pressive contours.

!he omanesue approach to ornament is different. "nimal, geometrical and plant motifs are

interwoven into a single ornamented pattern. In which people and animals are a part with littleindependent e'istence. =antastic Images and scenes of battles between animals are freuent in

Georgian sculpture but they are never so appallingly sinister, as In the omanesue, where

animals are often depicted as terrible monsters, personifying superhuman forces.

" comparative study of Georgian and omanesue wors of art of certain periods maes it easier

to find truly Georgian features.

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Monumental Georgian Sculpture

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