Transformation of visual signs: artistic forms and concepts in Georgian version of postmodern art

Abstract

The thesis - Transformation of visual signs: artistic forms and concepts in the Georgian version of postmodernist art -aims to display crucial moments of the development of contemporary Georgian visual art where basic changes are taking place in artistic thinking, in the forms of presentation or concepts as a components of complicated context determined by historical reality. The main task of the artistic field for transitional period was focused on resumption of connections with the international art world after almost century isolation and rapid rethinking of ‘missed’ experiences beside identification of its own role. The first chapter describes some important points from the history of art’s interpretation which were immediately taken in view as a necessary premise to join with international art scene.

The second part concerns Georgian contemporary art where the exceptional importance of context for Georgian artist’s works is discussed beside the fundamentals which have leaded to the crucial changes in 1980-1990-ies. All parts of the third chapter are concentrated on the subject of discussing historical themes and documental material in the projects by some artists of Last Soviet Generation. And at last we’ll consider contradictory interrelations between Georgian media and artistic sphere and some items of urban art. The points mentioned here are combined in a whole picture displaying the entity of very complex and even non verbalized processes which define the characteristics and directions of transformation period.

Among the different versions of art critical analysis some were especially important for local art scene on the way to understand and rethink theoretical experiences of contemporary art. There are critical ideas by Arthur C. Danto among them as his works include phenomenological interpretation of the contemporary art taking in consideration his practice in art criticism as he was writing critical reviews for a long time for The Nation and Naked Punch Review and also worked as an assisting editor for Artforum. One of the important concepts which became a source for various interpretations in the history of contemporary art refers to the idea of end of art.

Among the authors researching this concept and who is more often cited is exactly Arthur C. Danto. This subject is arisen almost in his all texts and is based on the thought about status of art work revealed during the development of contemporary art. The state where ordinary object may turn into art work and when its transformation can open the dimension which was not imaginable before Danto explored in his famous book Transfiguration of commonplace - published in 1981.118 Later, in 1999 he wrote an essay on Hegel’s thesis about the end of art and discussed Hegels’ famous comment about the end of art: "Art, considered in its highest vocation, is and remains for us a thing of the past.

Thereby it has lost for us genuine truth and life, and has rather been transferred into our ideas instead of maintaining its earlier necessity in reality and occupying its higher place." 119 Danto’s verson of the thesis means transformation of art into philosophical category when each art work exists into its own terms as an autonomous system. At the first glance opposite

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