IS

Sophiko Keburia

How many times must one gaze into the sorrowful eyes of a horse, run one’s hand over its lustrous mane, place a foot in the stirrup, or endure the sting of bleeding fingers while fashioning a bridle or saddle, for the creature to not only accept you as one of its own and submit willingly, but also for you to perceive the horse as no one ever has before? To become an indelible part of your world, untouchable by others and beyond imitation? While running through the mountains and valleys, has designated – a straw-colored faded field adorned with shimmering forget-me-nots. This setting is not merely a backdrop; it is their natural and artistic habitat, crafted specifically for them. It is characterized by soft light and a humid warmth, viewed through a sun-drenched lens.

The dual pictorial boundaries of this environment flow together so effortlessly that it becomes evident the artist rejects confining the space within the frame’s limitations.The texture of the canvas or cardboard, enhanced with glazing techniques and broad strokes and scrapes from a palette knife, creates a multi-dimensional depth – as if these creatures might disappear there the moment you look away. As you look, they reappear, standing and allowing you to immerse yourself in a world beyond time, a world envisioned by Irakli Sutidze.

Here, nothing is momentary, transient, or fleeting. There is an absence of narrative, suggesting that the artist himself was perhaps reserved and modest in life.

Irakli Sutidze’s world is kind, enchanting, brimming with myths and legends, unearthly and beautiful. It is a place inhabited by centaurs, unicorns, forest fairies, voluptuous daughters of the lord of the field, bellied devis, and their coquettish, adorned wives. These fantastical beings gaze at us with narrowed eyes and slight smiles, as if amused. There is an undercurrent of irony in their expressions, though whether it is self-irony or a commentary on our consumerist world immersed in banal existence is left to the viewer’s interpretation. For each, it may mean something different.

The humor characteristic of Irakli Sutidze is evident even in the titles of his works, such as “Vozhdi” (not a “Leader”) and “Vozhdi’s Horse” (not the “Leader’s Horse”), which bring a smile to the viewer’s face. The Russian word “Vozhd” conjures the ironic exclamation “Hait!” almost instinctively, infusing the artwork with a cheerful charm. This playful spirit is also reflected in the inscriptions on his graphic sketches, with titles like “Dura” [fool], “Dochturi” [doctor], “Ribakic” [son of a fisherman] “Zvigenich” [son of shark] and “Sitting on a Kabardin.” These titles and inscriptions add a layer of whimsy and irony, inviting viewers to engage with the art in a light-hearted and reflective manner.

Sometimes the titles of Irakli Sutidze’s works include quotes from the Holy Scriptures, adding a deeper layer of meaning. For example, “Camel” is paired with the phrase, “For it is easier for a trunk to go through the eye of a needle” (Luke 18:25, as edited by George the Hagiorite). Similarly, “Lamb” is accompanied by the verse, “Behold, the Lamb of God...” (John 1:29); “Foreign Bird” cites, “Look at the birds of the air” (Matthew 6:26); “Two Fishes” references, “Taking the five loaves and the two fish” (Matthew 14:19); and “Vessels of Wine” connects to, “Now there were six stone water jars...” (John 2:6). These titles suggest that the depicted animals and objects are not merely creations of the artist’s imagination, but rather visual embodiments of sacred admonitions and scriptural teachings.

For the artists of the 1980s generation, the mythical, biblical, and fairy-tale worlds, along with themes drawn from Georgia’s historical past, served as a sanctuary from a distorted reality. The collapse of the Soviet Union seemed inevitable, and the transition from the old Soviet paradigm to an uncertain future filled the people with hope and a thirst for freedom. In their quest for an ideal, painters delved into a search for a personal utopia. Each artist crafted his own imaginary oasis, defined by unique aesthetics, iconography, or technical “arsenal.” For Irakli Sutidze, this original “heaven” was found in history books, the Holy Scriptures, chivalric novels, folk tales, and in riding the horse through the field covered with forget-me-nots.

In that place, the artist gathered the vibrant flowers of the field and arranged them into a bouquet and wreath for the gingerhaired sorceress whom he loved. Ketie Kordzakhia, a witch of hisown world, embodies the air and soil; she is the wife of Devi and the queen of forest, the freckled trout, the stooped sparrow, and the sacrificial lamb. She was… From that moment on, Ketie became the most faithful guardian of the artist’s memory, a keeper of his legacy. Just like the chest that Irakli had drawn.

This summer, Ketie displayed this chest, along with other works of Irakli, at the Georgian Museum of Fine Arts. There, she hung his saddles on haystacks, and added graphics, sketches, and photos to the paintings, offering a glimpse into the artist’s world – or at least a part of it. This was her birthday tribute to him, a farewell gesture for the rest of us.

This year, Irakli Sutidze would have turned seventy. He left, vanishing into his faded straw-colored fields, taking his place behind the picture frame. He is there, holding the horse’s bridle, but we do not see him. We cannot see him as we are lost in existence, having become desensitized, forgetting myths, fairy tales, and legends. If you vow to revive, to remember that faded world, just look at the canvases of Irakli Sutidze. There, he will gaze back at you with Devi’s huge eyes, with his initials – ”I.S.” – inscribed in the lower corner.