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Contemporary Art Archive - Tbilisi

Archive of Academic Writings

2021 Edition of the Project is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Youth of Georgia

Study after Bacon Study after Velazquez - portrait of pope Innocent X

Sculpture,Object

Giorgi Maghradze

Chair, Neon lights
2017
110x50x50 cm.
Photo: Photo: Sandro Bibliotekari
Artisterium (edition: 10), Tbilisi History Museum, Tbilisi, Georgia

The object is my response to the two works of different epochs. These are Velazquez's Portrait of Innocent X and Bacon's Study after Velazquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X. These two works, for me, have always been distinguished by tense, dramatic and apocalyptic moods, and represent a rather masterful reflection of these moods. My study after Vel·zquez via Baconís study is three-dimensional and sculptural. In Baconís study, the face of the character is slowly disappearing, while in my study there is no longer a face. However, a chair remains as a symbol of power and legitimacy. Despite the fact that new epochs bring innovations, the symbols of power regardless of the faces being changed or entirely disappeared remain permanent.

Second photo by Sandro Losaberidze