ZURAB TSERETELI. PAINTING. EN

AUTHOR OF THE SERIES MARIA CHEGODAEVA

ZURAB TSERETELI THE SECOND BOOK painting

glenart

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Tsereteli Zurab Konstantinovich

Born on January 4, 1934 in Tbilisi.

He comes from the ancient Georgian family of princes Tserereli.

In 1958 he graduated from the Tbilisi Academy of Arts .

Since 1963, member of the USSR Union of Artists.

Since 1988 - Member of the USSR Academy of Arts .

Since 1994, the People’s Artist of Russia .

Zurab Tsereteli is a Corresponding Member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando (Spain); a Corresponding Member of the Academy of Fine Arts of France; UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.

Z. Tsetereteli has won many domestic and foreign awards: Commander of the Order of the Legion of Honor (France) since 2010; Cavalier King Cross - the Order «For Civil Merit» (Spain), in 2012; Full Cavalier of Order «For the Merit for Fatherland» (Russia), 2014; UNESCO Medal «Five Continents» for supporting young talent.

My Art Series 2

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THE RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF ARTS RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR THE THEORY AND HISTORY OF FINE ARTS

THE RUSSI AN

ACADEMY O F A RT S

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ARTIST

ZURAB TSERETELI

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THE SECOND BOOK. PAINTING

ZURAB TS My Art Series

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Artist

ERETELI

AUTHOR OF THE SERIES Maria Chegodaeva

glenart 7

Cover design picture of Zurab Tsereteli: "Picasso and Pirosmani". 1993.

©Glen Art d.o.o., 2014. © Zurab Tsereteli © Maria Chegodaeva, 2014. © Dmitry Chegodaev - design, 2014.

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ARTIST ZURAB TSERETELI

I Call Them By Name Maria Chegodaeva

11 Picasso and Pirosmani 21 My Angel, Comfort Me 49 New Times 75

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I CALL THEM BY NAME Maria Chegodaeva

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Painting is an absolutely original, singular area of Zurab Tsereteli’s artistic creativity, distinguishing him from any other contemporary artist. Each painting has been made “for himself”.

His art of a painer depends neither on clients nor on social trends, the art market, the audience’s tastes nor on modern art styles and trends. Stylistically his painting manner only belongs to one style – that of Zurab Tsereteli.

His paintings mostly live in his museum “running out” occasionally to personal exhibitions. The museum should be perceived as a whole: tapestries on the walls, long halls, alteration and combination of still lifes and portraits, sunflowers shining with gold and - plunged into darkness separate figures, faces, entire groups. Such abundance, which may sometimes seem excessive, in fact is the SPANLESS WORLD, a conceptual part of Tsereteli’s style.

Tsereteli’s painting engages

to draw by heart” Indeed, it is

to the full two or, perhaps, to be

very important to learn to draw

more precise, three elements.

by heart, from memory”.

The perfect academic

In the same way as

mastership, he had learnt from

Zurab Tsereteli has mastered

his teacher Vasily Shukhaev,

the techniques of drawing,

who was great at setting right

sculpture, mosaics, enamels

his student’s “eye and hand”.

he also is a master of painting

“Shukhaev, a wonderful Russian,

technique: he easily applies all

master of drawing, was my

the innovative achievements

teacher”, says Tsereteli. “He set

in of the “New Time”

difficult tasks before me saying:

painting, artistic discoveries

“You will thank God for learning

of impressionists and post-

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impressionists, he deliberately

easily put into words but at the

follows the laws of neorealism,

same time the titles he chooses

the art “on this side” of the

like “I call them by name”,

avant-garde of the 1910s,

“Sleep and Dreams”, “She hasn’t

enriched by the discoveries

come” etc. inevitably require

of futurism, cubism and

some special penetration,

suprematism…

thoughtful understanding. The

Yes, the art “begins with

artist invites us to share the

the law”, i.e. the skill, the

intuitive feeling dawned on

acceptance of the form. So

him, his emotional experience,

Tsereteli faithfully follows the

subconscious and quite real

laws of the dear to him XXth

simultaneously. It is embodied

century art, which has become

on canvas in the harmony

the undying classics. But it is

of precise brush strokes and

“performed in Grace: when

clear-cut contours. His ideally

the form becomes the content,

constructed compositions

reveals it to the end, actually

are far from being arbitrary or

is the content”*. Tsereteli’s

approximate.

painting it’s a true grace, full

“I call them by name”…

emancipation, liberation from

Brushes like bunches of flowers

“legalism”, “ the soul’s outburst,

with blue stems-handles and

an emotional, without limits LIFE

bristles like fluffy heads, white,

IN ART which for him equals life

thoroughly cleaned after work,

itself.

are in a transparent glass jar

Tsereteli’s paintings are very

and a golden metal pot against

difficult to analyze in terms of

a deep red background.

art critisism. They have no plots

After good work the resting

* Fr Alexander Schmemann. The Journals. 1973-1978. Moscow, 2005. P. 112.

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brushes, each with an individual

delishious brush strokes. As if the

character - are shown by the

checkered shirt splashed out

artist with the same careful

into the world, gained its own

attention and respect with

picturesque sound and filled the

which he treats people living on

entire space of the canvas.

the walls of his museum.

They are great in number

“Pirosmani-Picasso”.

Intense, menacing, cast in

– real men and women, old

bronze head of Pablo Picasso

and young, immersed in

with crazy huge black eyes… A

their activity, taking no notice

powerful sinewy neck, a bare

of either the artist or us, the

shoulder… The artist of the world,

audience, or stopping for a

the great Spaniard, Frenchman

moment to turn at us their calm

is moved by the power of art to

and wise, anxious or inquiring

a very specific, very Georgian

eyes.

reality of signboards made

“The Street Cleaner in

in the form of still-lifes by Niko

a Plaid Shirt”: a chunky old

Pirosmani (Pirosmanishvili): his

man, very characteristic and

bottles and jars, fishes and

lively, is turned anxiously to the

melon slices. He merges with this

painter. He does not let go

simple, naive, sensual world in a

of a huge broom in his hands

single colorful symphony of pink,

and seems to disapprove of

black and white combinations

the painter distracting him

so typical of Pirosmani’s palette

from work. From an extremely

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important, significant and

Such merging, juxtaposing

wonderful thing in his life - that

and perceiving as unity of

of cleaning his fairy world,

seemingly incompatible things,

scattered and gathered in an

themes, figures is very typical

exquisite symphony of colored

of Tseretely. And there is neither

checks, the squares of black,

the need nor the opportunity

white, pink and of strong, thick,

to explain why in the picture

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“Memory. Charlie. Zebra-Past-

compositionally. Together with

Rhino” Charlie Chaplin appears

the coloring of the painting

surrounded by some transparent

combining gray, brown and

colored balls in the sky , riding a

black with highlighs of pink they

cute striped zebra, and at the

create an atmosphere so close

zebra’s feet for some unknown

to Charlie Chaplin’s works: both

reason there is a small and quite

real and fantastic, ridiculous and

good-natured rhinoceros. What

tragic.

train of associations, which

Another from the earlier

memories of Chaplin’s films with

Tsereteli’s works – “Inessa”, a

their childish naïve magic, funny

portrait of a bygone beloved

absurdity, specifically Chaplin’s

wife of the artist, his Muse and

sense of humor have triggered

still his spiritual support. Among

such a bizarre twist in Charlie

the latest works is “Inessa’s

Chaplin’s theme, appearing in

Chair”: it’s a portrait of almost a

his works for years?

living being with curved handles

In his 2003 sculprture

like hands, in a light golden

Chaplin stands still in his black

dresslike cover as if keeping the

suit, his too well known bowler

“ghost” of a beautiful figure….

hat and ridiculous enlarged

While in a picture of the 1970-s

shoes. Charlie’s big face in the

a majestically beautiful woman

backrgound on the right looks

with a wave of dark hair, clad in

like a poster of his film; on the

a bright red dress to the floor, sits

left a dog’s muzzle stares at us

in profile, one leg over the other,

point-blank. And here is more

pensively staring somewhere:

to this; above there is a head of

maybe into Zurab’s studio whose

a woman in a cap, under the

work hangs on the wall next to

dog’s head there is something

Inessa’s head or in the depths of

like a cat’s snout…These

her soul.

seemingly randomly collected faces are firmly soldered

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“The elder brother”, “The Circus Director”, “Sandrino the

Builder”, “Both a pianist and a poetess”, “Zeniko”, “Afry”,

from the “Jerusalem” series.

In 2014 Moscow hosted

“Coca”… Real people, friends

a major Tsereteli’s exhibition

dear to the artist, each of whom

“Moscow-New-York-Paris”.

he “calls by name”. He shares

Large in size, up to two to five

with them what they feel, he

feet, vertical canvases, created

understands the sentiment of

over the last three years filled

a stern man in rough working

several floors of the exhibition.

clothes standing with his hands

Often they made up dyptychs

in pockets near a tall sunflower

or triptychs. “The workshop

under a rope hung with linen.

without borders”. Wherever

Georgia… Rural, native land…-

Tsereteli happens to stay even

“The Return”

for a week he gets to work in his

He is carried away by the

mobile workshop. Occupied

motley brush strokes that are

with his monuments and

like sounds, visibly flying down

public activity he finds time for

from the violin of an old street

painting.

musician. Surrounded by the

The floors are the following:

music a boy seems to appear

“Moscow”, “Paris”, “New

from the sounds. He sits on the

York”. It is not about subjects,

cold stones of the pavement,

cityscapes or types of people

a hat for collecting money lies

of the three big cities, the three

before him. “The grandson”.

countries or the tree nations. It is

And alongside with

not Tsereteli’s Moscow, it is Zurab

people in the “Names” series

Tsereteli in Moscow. It is not

there are endless flowers

Tseretei’s Paris, it is Zurab Tsereteli

Tsereteli is so fond of , sunflowers

in Paris, in New York; always very

like golden suns, bright, rich in

individual, with his own outlook

color still lifes of southern fruits

of the world, his own unique

that surround “Afry” or “The

artistic “handwriting”. His stay in

Poet” or a group of black rabbis

one country or another, in this or

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that environment, atmosphere,

it’s a colorful combination of

rhythm of life on his canvases

brownish red and bright green

manifests itself rather indirectly,

squares, rectangles, something

implicitly, but realistically at

like fabric rags that look sewn

the same time, giving to each

and stitched with black stitches.

painting labeled as “Moscow”,

And in the center of this colorful

“Paris”, “New York” its own

and harmonious roundelay of

special mark. Three “workshops

picturesque color fills, strokes,

without borders”, or to be more

sharp black stitches is a sad lost

precise, “beyond borders”

face of a man in a bowler hat

make up one worldwide

with a red ball clown nose.

“workshop of Tsereteli”. Only

Parisian “Circus” : “Baba.

as such it should be viewed, in

Paris”. In the dark grey-bluish

its wholeness, abundance of

and black background

canvases,, alteration of portraits

crowded with blurred objects a

and dialogues, fantasies and

yellow-red clown flipped upside

genre scenes, still lifes and

down, leans on his elbows, his

flower bouquets. If only dull

head is so real, it’s just an old

terms of art criticism could

man’s grey head, it does not

express these bizarre, fancy and

look like a clown’s. And he looks

sometimes absolutely impossible

at us, a sorrowful question in his

combinations of forms and

eyes with a hanging tear..

subjects of Tsereteli.

In “Moscow” Georgia is

“Temur. Paris”. Who is this stout man in a black undershirt

a constant subject: the series

and light blue loose pants sitting

“Dzhigits Invite to Dance”,

defiantly and casually in front

“Old Tiflis”. The series “Circus” is

of us, leaning on his knees with

present on all the “floors of the

his mighty hands and probing

workshop”, appears in Moscow,

us with his black, scary glaring

in Paris and in New York. From

eyes? How did this Georgian

the series “ Circus” New York”:

man end up in such an alien to

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him world of the voltage towers-

A dream about something

posts far away behind his head?

eternal and momentary, divinely

A truly French air is in

majestic and falsely accidental

“Valerian” depicting a golden-

…American incredible

haired musician with huge

contrasts…

sad eyes, playing the cello. He

Quit often animal inhabit

finds himself standing with his

his pictures: dogs, a cat (“The

miserable pathetic music stand

yellow eye”), deer, roosters.

in front of a house with lancet

“Khabuta and Babry”. An

windows. And “The Gossipers”.

elderly men leans sideways,

It is neither the subject nor

above him in a basket there is a

characters that matter. Two

huge, much bigger in size than

middle-aged corpulent women

the man’s head, muzzle of a

just have a talk. But there is

puppy with a piercing look of

something of Degas, of the

absolutely human eyes. Huge,

“blue” French Picasso coming

dark eye pupils, surrounded by

from a stunningly beautiful

the glaring white, look at us all

palette of blue, light grey and

along throughout the halls -

brownish red with flashes of

from people’s portraits, animal

white, in the play of picturesque

heads, from flower vases in the

strokes in this simple genre

form of a human head.

scene.

The diptych “Had a dream.

“Zurab Tsereteli’s painting workshop” is not just a large

New York”. In the upper right-

collection of paintings by

hand part of the painting there

one artist . It is a huge human

is a huge bent head of a

world, lives, moods, feelings of

Roman-Greek antiquity God

hundreds of people, refracted

carved in stone, below , among

through the artist, through his

the rocks of the menacingly

soul, his imagination, his skill.

beetling cliff there are two

Life, real and mysteriously

fanciful blue face masks.

bizarre, combining wakefulness

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and dreams, real hopes and

living being, every animal,

impossible dreams. Joyful

flower, every things created by

as radiant colors and bitter

human hands, for his own brush

as tears of a frightened child.

on his palette with pastose tasty,

And all throughout Tsereteli’s

shining with all the rainbow

work, yesterday and today, his

colors swirls of oil paints…

unlimited selfless love for every

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“I Call Them by Names”

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PiŃ asso and Pirosmani

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1. To the memory of Vavi. 2009.

Oil on canvas.

2. Grandson. 2007.

Oil on canvas.

3. The Return. 2009.

Oil on canvas.

4. The Street Cleaner in a Plaid Shirt. 1993.

Oil on canvas.

5. Zeyko. 2008.

Oil on canvas.

6. To the memory of Charlie.

Zebra-Mimo-Rhino. 2009.

Oil on canvas.

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7. I call them by name. 2008.

Oil on canvas.

8. May 21. 2009.

Oil on canvas.

9. Inessa's Chair. 2009.

Oil on canvas.

10. Miracle! 2007.

Oil on canvas.

11. Picasso and Pirosmani. 1993.

Oil on canvas.

12. From the series "Jerusalem". 2009.

Oil on canvas.

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My Angel, Comfort Me

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13. Afry. 2007.

Oil on canvas.

14. Constantine. 2006.

Oil canvas.

15. Wayfarers. 2010.

Oil on canvas.

16. Magda, Both a Pianist and a Poetess.

2009. Oil on canvas.

17. The Director of a Circus Tent. 2009.

Oil on canvas.

18. Ghera's Grandpa. 2009.

Oil on canvas.

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19. The Dream. Athos. 2008.

Oil on canvas.

20. The Elder Brother. 2008.

Oil on canvas.

21. Sandriko, the Builder. 2009.

Oil on canvas.

22. My Angel, Comfort Me. 2008.

Oil on canvas.

23. Inessa. 1978.

Oil on canvas.

24. The Poetess. 2009.

Oil on canvas.

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New Times

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25. Baba. From the series "The Circus". 2013.

Oil on canvas.

26. Baghebi. 2013.

The lefet panel of the triptych.

Oil on canvas.

27. Baghebi. 2013.

The right panel of the triptch.

Oil on canvas.

28. Speak, speak - you speak. 2013.

Oil on canvas.

29. Valerian. 2012.

Oil on canvas.

30. The sleep and Dreams. 2010.

Oil on canvas.

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31. From the series "The Circus". 2011.

Oil on canvas.

32. Likes, dislikes. 2012.

Oil on canvas.

33. The Gossipers. 2012.

Oil on canvas.

34. Temur. 2012.

Oil on canvas.

35. Khabuta e Babri. 2013.

Oil on canvas.

36. I had a dream. 2011.

Oil on canvas.

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Z UR A B T S ER ET EL I

Z UR A B T S ER ET EL I

AUTHOR OF THE SERIES MARIA CHEGODAEVA

AUTHOR OF THE SERIES MARIA CHEGODAEVA

ZURAB TSERETELI

ZURAB TSERETELI

THE BOOK THREE

THE SECOND BOOK

DRAWING AND ENAMEL

painting

Academician Маria Chegodaeva

"Мy Art" Series Z UR A B T SE RE T EL I

ZURAB TSERETELI THE FIRST BOOK sculptures

AUTHOR OF THE SERIES MARIA CHEGODAEVA

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AUTHOR OF THE SERIES MARIA CHEGODAEVA

O LGA BULGA KOVA

PA UL N I KO N OV

PAUL NIKONOV

OLGA BULGAKOVA AUTHOR OF THE SERIES MARIA CHEGODAEVA

Academician Маria Chegodaeva

"Мy Art" Series L EV SH EP EL E V

IGO R PC H EL NI KOV

LEV SHEPELEV AUTHOR OF THE SERIES MARIA CHEGODAEVA

IGOR PCHELNIKOV AUTHOR OF THE SERIES MARIA CHEGODAEVA

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AUTHOR OF THE SERIES MARIA CHEGODAEVA

PET R GR I GO R I EV. C ATHER I N E K UD R YAV TS EVA

V I C TO R I A N I KO N OVA

VICTORIA NIKONOVA

PETR GRIGORIEV AUTHOR OF THE SERIES MARIA CHEGODAEVA

CATHERINE KUDRYAVTSEVA

.. "Мy ArtSeries

Academician Маria Chegodaeva

MARIA CHEGODAEVA

ALBINA AKRITAS

D MI T R Y ZH IL I NSK IY

AL B IN A A KRI TAS

AUTHOR OF THE SERIES

DMITRY ZHILINSKIY AUTHOR OF THE SERIES MARIA CHEGODAEVA

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Maria Chegodaeva

ZURAB TSERETELI KNJIGA JEDAN. SLIKE NA PLATNU

Serija "Moja umjetnost "

Nakladnik

Glen Art d.o.o.

51222, Primorje 43, Bakar, Hrvatska Lektura

Alicija Višnevetska Priprema, obrada i dizajn

Dmitri Čegodaev Tisak

Grafik, Rijeka

CIP zapis dostupan u računalnom katalogu Sveučilišne knjižnice Rijeka pod brojem 000000000

ISBN 123-4-567-89012-3

1 234567 890123 108

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Academician Maria Andreyevna Chegodaeva, the author of “My Art� series, presents: Zurab Tsereteli Pavel Nikonov Igor Pchelnikov Leo Shepelev Olga Bulgakova Dmitry Zhilinsky Victoria Nikonova Ekaterina Kudryavtseva Peter Grigoriev Albina Akritas

My Art Series 111

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