CARICATURE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA

Abstract

The most important cultural events of the 1910-20s are related to the Democratic Republic of Georgia - a free political process gave birth to free art or, on the contrary, free artistic energy gave birth to the alike country.

Tbilisi, similar to Paris of the first half of the 20th century, was not only the capital of Georgia, but also the center of Eastern Europe, where people of various nationalities and artists fleeing revolutionary Russia gathered. In Georgia, which became a refuge for the oppressed and displaced, modernists and avant-gardes thrived. Among the fields of fine arts, the development of the genre of Georgian caricature is worth noting.

During the period of independence, many cartoonists worked in Georgia: Oskar Shmerling, Shalva Kikodze, Mikheil Tchiaureli, Aleksandre Zaltsman, Lado Gudiashvili, Gigo Zaziashvili and others. Magazines and newspapers of that time also demonstrated us the stories of Tamar Tavadze and Elene Akhvlediani.

Caricature, based on its essence, is of special importance in terms of understanding and evaluating socio-political problems. That is why for years in Georgia, which was part of the Russian Empire, many printed publications with caricatures were victimized by the censorship.

Since 1918, the free environment has created completely new opportunities for artists. Satirical-humorous editions, in which sharp and critical pamphlets illustrated by artists, were printed without censorship. It is also worth noting that these works were often ironic, but not cynical - even critically depicted reality was characterized with harmless intentions and humour.

The situation began to change radically from 1921, when the Soviet ideology confronted the person, his self, individual thinking, and with the motive of forming a common collective unity, created a new reality with fear and terror, where a new person, the "Soviet individual" was created. Since then, Soviet censorship has turned caricature into a tool of its own struggle and a means of propaganda.

Keywords: Democratic Republic of Georgia; Caricature Lado Gudiashvili; Shalva Kikodze; Mikheil Chiaureli;