Pata: A Self-Portrait
10.12.2021
On December 9, the gallery ARTinvestment.RU "21st Century" presented a solo exhibition, titled "A Self-Portrait," of works from the sculptor, painter, and graphic artist Pata (Paata Merabishvili).
National motives and the achievements of modern plasticity are tightly interweaved in Paata Merabishvili's oeuvre. His works stand out by bold formal experiments and an intense quest for figurative and plastic expressiveness.
Paata Merabishvili was born in 1964 in Tbilisi in a famous dynasty of Georgian sculptors and painters. Paata graduated from the Tbilisi State Art Academy in 1990. He currently resides and works in Moscow. Merabishvili's works are stored in private collections in Georgia, Russia, the USA, Germany, Israel, Sweden, France, Italy, Switzerland, and Canada.
Paata Merabishvili has distinctly defined his creative development by mastering all the sculptural techniques of antiquity, reinterpreting the imagery of ancient sculpture and the style of classical modeling. Being fascinated by masterpieces of the ancient masters, the plasticity of African art, and that of Aristide Maillol, the artist developed a modernist approach in his own oeuvre.
In Paata Merabishvili's sculptures, the stylization of forms, the decorativeness, and emotionality of Georgian art are harmoniously combined with modernist experiments and the geometrization of forms, a focus on volume, and conciseness of artistic ideas characteristic of the masters of the Paris school - Jacque Lipschitz, A. Arkhipenlo, O. Zadkine, N. Gabot, etc. Color plays a vital role in the work of the sculptor: his steel and bronze compositions are laid on in bright, saturated monochrome colors that directly affect the emotional state of a viewer. The light forms of these compositions and their fluid lines create an elegant silhouette, rendering a link to the world of objective reality.
Paata Merabishvili's sculptures vividly demonstrate his deep knowledge of the properties of various materials (metal, stone, wood) and his virtuoso mastery of the techniques of working with them. Regardless of the material, the artist strives to achieve maximum expressiveness of the images, endowing them with inner expression and an allegorical motif. In the sculptor's oeuvre, a tendency toward both abstract forms and reduced means of imagery is combined with a commitment to figurative art. The study of the plastic possibilities of the human body occupies a central place in his oeuvre.
A talented painter and graphic artist, Paata Merabishvili created numerous canvases, drawings, and collages. In these works, he enters into dialogue with Picasso and Modigliani and turns to the aesthetics of primitive art. His oeuvre is characterized by intense colors, sensitivity, and emotionality of images, as well as a particular focus on the plastic expressiveness of human figures.
Paata's deep knowledge of arts allows him to masterfully realize his experimental passion. The artist freely utilizes different art styles and invents new techniques for working with materials both on a plane and in space, achieving the greatest expressiveness of his own artistic credo.
For Paata Merabishvili, being a sculptor connotes 'an internal state of perceiving surroundings in space, when the idea has volume and even color'. The embodiment of this idea in the language of art both on a plane or in space echoes his perception of the surrounding world. A miracle that becomes visible thanks to the artist's creative pursuits, disappointments, and victories.
National motives and the achievements of modern plasticity are tightly interweaved in Paata Merabishvili's oeuvre. His works stand out by bold formal experiments and an intense quest for figurative and plastic expressiveness.
Paata Merabishvili was born in 1964 in Tbilisi in a famous dynasty of Georgian sculptors and painters. Paata graduated from the Tbilisi State Art Academy in 1990. He currently resides and works in Moscow. Merabishvili's works are stored in private collections in Georgia, Russia, the USA, Germany, Israel, Sweden, France, Italy, Switzerland, and Canada.
Paata Merabishvili has distinctly defined his creative development by mastering all the sculptural techniques of antiquity, reinterpreting the imagery of ancient sculpture and the style of classical modeling. Being fascinated by masterpieces of the ancient masters, the plasticity of African art, and that of Aristide Maillol, the artist developed a modernist approach in his own oeuvre.
In Paata Merabishvili's sculptures, the stylization of forms, the decorativeness, and emotionality of Georgian art are harmoniously combined with modernist experiments and the geometrization of forms, a focus on volume, and conciseness of artistic ideas characteristic of the masters of the Paris school - Jacque Lipschitz, A. Arkhipenlo, O. Zadkine, N. Gabot, etc. Color plays a vital role in the work of the sculptor: his steel and bronze compositions are laid on in bright, saturated monochrome colors that directly affect the emotional state of a viewer. The light forms of these compositions and their fluid lines create an elegant silhouette, rendering a link to the world of objective reality.
Paata Merabishvili's sculptures vividly demonstrate his deep knowledge of the properties of various materials (metal, stone, wood) and his virtuoso mastery of the techniques of working with them. Regardless of the material, the artist strives to achieve maximum expressiveness of the images, endowing them with inner expression and an allegorical motif. In the sculptor's oeuvre, a tendency toward both abstract forms and reduced means of imagery is combined with a commitment to figurative art. The study of the plastic possibilities of the human body occupies a central place in his oeuvre.
A talented painter and graphic artist, Paata Merabishvili created numerous canvases, drawings, and collages. In these works, he enters into dialogue with Picasso and Modigliani and turns to the aesthetics of primitive art. His oeuvre is characterized by intense colors, sensitivity, and emotionality of images, as well as a particular focus on the plastic expressiveness of human figures.
Paata's deep knowledge of arts allows him to masterfully realize his experimental passion. The artist freely utilizes different art styles and invents new techniques for working with materials both on a plane and in space, achieving the greatest expressiveness of his own artistic credo.
For Paata Merabishvili, being a sculptor connotes 'an internal state of perceiving surroundings in space, when the idea has volume and even color'. The embodiment of this idea in the language of art both on a plane or in space echoes his perception of the surrounding world. A miracle that becomes visible thanks to the artist's creative pursuits, disappointments, and victories.