Levan Tsutskiridze ( ka, ლევან ცუცქირიძე; 12 January 1926 – 17 November 2021) was a Georgian monumentalist artist,

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicate ...

, and

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

es in the Sioni Cathedral,

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

. Tsutskiridze illustrated '' The Knight in the Tiger’s Skin'', a poem published in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

in German translation. It was also published in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...

, and

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. He was also the author of the design and illustrations of more than thirty books.

Early life

Levan Tsutskiridze was born in the small town of

Khashuri Khashuri ( ka, ხაშური ) is a city in the central part of Georgia and is the 9th largest settlement in Georgia. It is the administrative centre of Khashuri Municipality. It is located on the Shida Kartli plain, on the Suramula river ...

in what was then the

Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic The Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, also known as Soviet Georgia, the Georgian SSR, or simply Georgia, was one of the republics of the Soviet Union from its second occupation (by the Red Army) in 1921 to its independence in 1991. Cotermin ...

. Most of his childhood was spent in a small village, Moliti, in the

Imereti Imereti ( Georgian: იმერეთი, ) is a region of Georgia situated in the central-western part of the republic along the middle and upper reaches of the Rioni River. Imereti is the most populous region in Georgia. It consists of 11 mun ...

region. When Tsutskiridze was 11, his father was killed in 1937 by the Soviet Government during the

Great Purge The Great Purge, or the Great Terror (), also known as the Year of '37 () and the Yezhovshchina ( , ), was a political purge in the Soviet Union that took place from 1936 to 1938. After the Assassination of Sergei Kirov, assassination of ...

. After his death, the family faced eviction from their home and poverty. Tsutskiridze received primary education at a

public school. In 1946, he started taking classes on painting and graphic arts at

Tbilisi State Academy of Arts The Tbilisi State Academy of Arts ( ka, თბილისის სახელმწიფო სამხატვრო აკადემია) is one of the oldest universities in Georgia and the Caucasus. It is located in central Tbilisi ...

. During his time at the academy, the staff labeled Tsutskiridze as having a

formalist Formalism may refer to: * Legal formalism, legal positivist view that the substantive justice of a law is a question for the legislature rather than the judiciary * Formalism (linguistics) * Scientific formalism * A rough synonym to the Formal sys ...

style and punished him for allegedly being obstinate and disobedient. They demoted him first from second year to first year and then again from fourth year to first year. As a result, Tsutskiridze did not graduate the academy until 1957. After graduation, his works were banned from the exhibition list. In 1958, Tsutskiridze participated in the republican exhibition with the painting ‘’''Toast''’’. The exhibition lasted the whole month, but his picture hung at the Blue Gallery for three days. His illustrations of ''The Knight in the Tiger’s Skin'' and painting ‘’''Dance''’’ suffered the same fate. In the end recognition finally happened, but with difficulty. Tsutskiridze held his first personal exhibition in 1959 in Tbilisi, at the Union of Architects of Georgia. The exhibition proved his artistic manner to originate from the Georgian traditional fresco, at the same time bearing individual features. During 1960 and 1970, Tsutskiridze was a professor of Tbilisi Academy of Arts and Polytechnic Institute of Georgia (by turns), while during 1971 and 2005, a professor of Chair of Drawing of Tbilisi Academy of Arts. In 1976, a large canvas called “''Aspiration''” was installed in

Poti Poti ( ka, ფოთი ; Mingrelian language, Mingrelian: ფუთი; Laz language, Laz: ჶაში/Faşi or ფაში/Paşi) is a port city in Georgia (country), Georgia, located on the eastern Black Sea coast in the mkhare, region of ...

. In 1977, a monumental picture “''Kolkheti''”- in the town of

Senaki Senaki ( ka, სენაკი, ''senak'i''; , ''sanak'i'') is a city in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region, western Georgia. It is located at around between the rivers Tekhura/i and Tsivi, at an elevation of 28–38 meters above sea level. Senaki i ...

and “''Cherishable''” based on ''The Knight in the Tiger’s Skin'' by

Shota Rustaveli Shota Rustaveli ( ka, შოთა რუსთაველი, – after c. 1220), mononymously known simply as Rustaveli, was a medieval Georgian poet. He is considered to be the pre-eminent poet of the Georgian Golden Age and one of the g ...

at the House of Union of Writers of Georgia. In 1984-88, Tsutskiridze completed

es paintings on three walls of the Sioni Cathedral. Artist’s uncanny ability to portray the vast spiritual world beyond physical matter led theCatholicos-Patriarch of Georgia, Ilia II, to commission Levan Tsutskiridze to paint the murals at Sioni Cathedral. In 1997, "''Data Tutashkhia''" by Chabua Amirejibi, with illustrations by Tsutskiridze, was published. Tsutskiridze also illustrated the seven volume edition of

Chabua Amirejibi Mzechabuk "Chabua" Amirejibi, (often written as "Amiredjibi", ka, მზეჭაბუკ "ჭაბუა" ამირეჯიბი; 18 November 1921 – 12 December 2013) was a Georgian novelist and Soviet-era dissident notable for his ma ...

works published by Magticom in 2001.

Exhibitions

* 1958 republic exhibition. Tbilisi. Georgia. * 1959 personal exhibition. The Union of Architects of Georgia. Tbilisi. Georgia * 1961 personal exhibition. House of Art Workers. Tbilisi. Georgia * 1968 personal exhibition. House of the Society for International Cultural Relations, Berlin, Germany * 1972 exhibition dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the USSR. Moscow, Georgia * 1973 personal exhibition. Publishing House of “''Merani''”, Tbilisi, Georgia * 1974 group exhibition of Georgian artists (Levan Tsutskiridze, Zurab Nizharadze, Dinara Nodia, Irakli Ochiauri), Belgium * 1975 group exhibition of Georgian artists (Levan Tsutskiridze, Zurab Nizharadze, Dinara Nodia,

Irakli Ochiauri Irakli Ochiauri ( ka, ირაკლი ოჩიაური, ; November 20, 1924 – December 4, 2015) was a Georgia (country), Georgian painter and sculptor who was awarded the Shota Rustaveli State Prize, the highest prize in Georgia in the ...

), Austria * 1976 group exhibition of Georgian artists (Levan Tsutskiridze, Zurab Nizharadze, Dinara Nodia, Irakli Ochiauri), Federal Republic of Germany * 1977 personal exhibition. National State of Museum of Art, Tbilisi, Georgia * 1977 personal exhibition. House of Scientists, Moscow, Russia * 1977 personal exhibition. House of Literature Workers, Moscow, Russia * 1979 personal exhibition. State Picture Gallery, Batumi Georgia * 1981 exhibition dedicated to the days of

Johann Wolfgang Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on literary, political, and philosoph ...

, Weimar, Germany * 1982 personal exhibition. Illustrations, G. Leonidze State Museum of Literature, Tbilisi, Georgia * 1982 personal exhibition. House of the Soviet Culture,

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

, Yugoslavia * 2004 personal exhibition. G. Leonidze State Museum of Literature, Tbilisi, Georgia * 2007 personal exhibition. National Library of the Parliament of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia * 2014 personal exhibition. G. Leonidze State Museum of Literature, Tbilisi, Georgia * 2020 personal exhibition. Georgian Museum of Fine Arts, Tbilisi, Georgia

Awards

* In 1974, in Brazil, he won the

Hans Christian Andersen Award The Hans Christian Andersen Awards are two literary awards given by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), recognising one living author and one living illustrator for their "lasting contribution to children's literature". Th ...

for the design and illustration of poem “''Toast''’’ by

Grigol Orbeliani Prince Grigol Orbeliani or Jambakur-Orbeliani ( ka, გრიგოლ ორბელიანი; ჯამბაკურ-ორბელიანი) (2 October 1804 – 21 March 1883) was a Georgian Romanticist poet and general in Imp ...

, issued by the international Board on Books for young people. * During the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

period, he was granted the highest “first A” category. * Magazine ''

Soviet Life ''Russian Life'', previously known as ''The USSR'' and ''Soviet Life'', is a 64-page color bimonthly magazine of Russian culture. It celebrated its 60th birthday in October 2016. The magazine is written and edited by American and Russian staffer ...

'' was being published in USA starting from the 70s. In 1983, the December release published Amiran Chkartishvil's article about Levan Tsutskiridze, entitled ‘’''A stark, muted palette’''’. *In 2001, he was granted the title of Georgian State Prize Winner. * In 2002, he was invited to Italy as prize winner of Bogliasco International Foundation for his works of the past years. * Five of the artist's works participated in festival "''Iberia''", which was held in 2010 in Netherlands.

References

External links

Official webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tsutskiridze, Levan 1926 births 2021 deaths 20th-century artists from Georgia (country) People from Shida Kartli