Tbilisi State Academy of Arts
Doctoral Candidate
Tbilisi/ Georgia
tatia.tev@gmail.com
Abstract
The history of the graphic decoration of printed publications in Georgia dates back to the beginning of the eighteenth century. In 1709, on the initiative of Vakhtang VI, the first Georgian printing press was established in Georgia. In 1723, the press was closed because of the Ottoman invasion and was restored only in 1745, on the initiative of Erekle II. In 1795, following the invasion of Agha Mohammad Khan, the printing press in Tbilisi was closed for a second time. Consequently, at the end of the eighteenth and the beginning of the nineteenth century, Georgian books were printed mainly in Russia. Between 1800 and 1817, the printing enterprise in Georgia was continued by Solomon II, King of Imereti; nevertheless, the number of publications issued during the first half of the nineteenth century remained very limited.
The revival of Georgian printing and the intensification of publishing activity were associated with the second half of the nineteenth century and the emergence of the generation known as the “Men of the Sixties” in the country’s public life. Among the principal concerns of this generation were public education, the raising of social awareness, and the strengthening of a sense of statehood. The book was employed as one of the most important “weapons” for achieving these objectives. During this period, the number of publications covering a wide range of fields increased considerably, and the foundations of the periodical press were established. Through both their textual content and artistic design, printed publications contributed to strengthening national self-awareness and state-oriented thinking within Georgian society.
However, publishing activity during the second half of the nineteenth century was not limited to works of this type and content. Significantly, in Old Tbilisi, where lifestyles and customs rooted in folk traditions remained active, more popular publications were regularly printed. These included so-called inexpensive booklets containing poems and writings by the minstrels of the old city, as well as more substantial volumes featuring popular heroic, chivalric, and romantic tales.
Within the framework of the present study, material published during the second half of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century was identified and examined. It includes small-format books and brochures, as well as more substantial publications whose pages, as the research has revealed, are richly decorated with diverse and previously unknown graphic elements. The material comprises both reprints of the same book issued in different years and entirely independent publications that vary considerably in artistic character and printing technique.
The graphic decoration of these publications is highly diverse and includes ornamental motifs, borders, decorative initials, and illustrations incorporated into the text or presented on separate pages. From both stylistic and technical perspectives, these decorative elements are varied and frequently differ substantially from one another. So-called “folk” or naïve approaches to artistic expression are also often evident. It may be assumed that the decoration of these publications was produced by craftsmen with differing levels of training and artistic taste. In any case, the large number of such publications indicates that these books enjoyed considerable popularity among certain sections of society.
The thematic and visual diversity of this previously unknown material requires careful observation and in-depth study. Its examination makes it possible to identify, alongside professionally accomplished artistic production in the second half of the nineteenth century, a parallel mode of expression characterised by a more “folk” and naïve visual language and a corresponding form of artistic thought. In a broader context, this material also offers an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the cultural orientations and aesthetic worldview of Georgian society during this period.
Keywords: printed graphic art; graphic decoration of books; nineteenth century.