Ilia Patashuri was born in the village of Khevsha and first appeared on the art scene in the 1960s. Moreover, if we look through his works, it becomes evident that the Georgian mountain cosmogony always follows him, as if he lives in a constantly mythologized time. As a child, he painted Georgian mythological creatures “Devis” with coals on the walls of houses, many decades later, he does the same, when he performs abstract colored compositions. The works of Ilia Patashuri are diverse in genres, mainly traditional, historical genres, everyday scenes, landscapes, portraits, and still lifes. They are made in a combination of rich colors; the color itself is an expression of mythology. The works of Ilia Patashuri make it evident that the quest for color led him to abstraction. The tendency toward abstract artistic thinking is also observed in the artist’s early works. However, in this case, abstraction does not imply the common sense of the word but rather Patashuri’s original abstraction. Even in this “landslide of colors” – as Davit Andriadze calls Patashuri’s work – there seems to be a rational and even academic approach. The artist has received numerous awards and titles for his many years of fruitful creative work, including the 1975 Prize of the Ministry of Culture of Georgia for the best composition of the year, “Family of Shepherd”; in 1982, he was awarded the title of Honored Artist of Georgia. In 2012, the artist was awarded an honorary diploma from Tbilisi City Hall for his special contribution to Georgian culture, and in 2018 – the Order of Honor.