Art of the Christian East

The diverse multitude of ethnocultural, religious and artistic traditions – nourished by the various countries, regions and schools – constitutes the broader notion of the Eastern Christian Art.

The coexistence and interaction between these artistic milieus, based on the different prerequisites and realities, throughout the centuries contributed and still contributes to the formation of a distinctive manifold picture where both general and local exist side-by-side.

Proper examining, understanding and determining the characteristics of different Eastern Christian artistic circles are impossible to conduct without exploring, perceiving and considering the historically similar or differentiated features, principles and broad cultural interactions that were typical for the Christian East.

Located at the edge of the empires, Georgia while experiencing numerous difficulties and contradictions throughout its historical path, consistently remained not only a mere but essential part of the Eastern Christian world, amplified by a momentum when Georgia inclined towards Byzantium. Therefore, the determination and establishment of the unified, comprehensive general picture of medieval Georgian art should rest on its contextualisation within the artistic cultures of the Christian East.