Grigory Grigorievich Gagarin was a 19th-century Russian painter, illustrator, art historian, and architect; he served as an Ober-Hofmeister of the Imperial Court and as Vice-President of the Imperial Academy of Arts of Russia. He worked in the fields of painting, graphic art, illustration, lithography, monumental painting, and architecture. Gagarin’s artistic work is particularly associated with the Caucasus and with the artistic and cultural life of Georgia and Tbilisi in the mid-19th century. His works constitute an important visual source for the study of the cities, landscapes, population, and everyday life of Georgia during this period.
Gagarin was born on 11 May 1810 in St. Petersburg and died on 30 January 1893 in the French city of Châtellerault. He studied architecture and construction at the Sorbonne, while simultaneously attending lectures in mathematics, jurisprudence, philology, and philosophy. In his youth, he also studied painting under Karl Briullov. He began his artistic career at an early age and gained recognition through his illustrations for Alexander Pushkin’s “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” and several poems. The illustrations for Pushkin’s works constitute an important part of his early graphic oeuvre.
In 1848, Gagarin began working in Tbilisi with Count Mikhail Vorontsov, the Viceroy of the Caucasus. In addition to his military and administrative duties, he was involved in the improvement and development of the cities of the Caucasus. He participated in the design and decoration of the Tbilisi Theatre. Gagarin painted Sioni Cathedral and participated in the restoration of the old frescoes of Betania Monastery. The decoration of Sioni Cathedral and his work related to the frescoes of Betania represent significant examples of his interest in monumental painting and Georgian cultural heritage.
Until 1854, he lived in Tbilisi with his wife, Sofia Gagarina. During this period, he created portraits of Georgian noblemen, depictions of Georgians from different regions and Caucasian mountaineers dressed in traditional attire, compositions depicting the everyday life and celebrations of the inhabitants of Tbilisi, as well as landscapes of Tbilisi and various regions of Georgia. These works depict the social, ethnographic, and urban environment of 19th-century Georgia and represent one of the principal directions of Georgian subject matter in Gagarin’s oeuvre.
His works executed in watercolour were reproduced through the technique of lithography, published as separate albums, and enjoyed considerable popularity among art enthusiasts of the period. Among his works devoted to the Caucasus, particular mention should be made of the album “Le Caucase pittoresque,” published in 1847, which included works depicting Caucasian landscapes and its inhabitants.
In Gagarin’s oeuvre, works associated with Georgia occupy an important place, including the Tbilisi Theatre, the decoration of Sioni Cathedral, portraits of Georgian noblemen and inhabitants of various regions, compositions depicting everyday life in Tbilisi, and landscapes of Georgia. Through these works, he is connected with the artistic and cultural environment of Georgia in the mid-19th century and offers a multifaceted representation of Georgian life. His sketches and lithographs are preserved in the Shalva Amiranashvili Museum of Fine Arts, the National Archives of Georgia, the National Parliamentary Library of Georgia, and other collections.
His works include:
“Georgian Women.” Color lithograph. Art Museum of Georgia
“Dance on the Tbilisi Roofs.” colour lithograph
“Garden in the Suburbs of Tbilisi.” colour lithograph
“Imeretian Boy.” colour lithograph
“Imeretian Count.” colour lithograph
“Mengralian Count.” colour lithograph
“A Squad of Georgian Militia in Zakatala.” colour lithograph
“Khevsuri Warrior.” colour lithograph
