Tbilisi collection – Windows

The second book of this “Tbilisi collection” is dedicated to Tbilisi windows dating from the second part of the 19th century and the first part of the 20th century, just the windows through which the voices of sellers of sour milk and knife-grinders, playing children and oil sellers reached houses of Sololaki and Mtatsminda, Chughureti and Vere. The houses in turn answered the streets with piano sounds and mourning, family rows and fairytales.
Tbilisi windows are an important constituent part of an architectural encyclopedia of Tbilisi, and while working on this book I often couldn’t resist the temptation to place the window on the table in the context of the whole facade or its fragment.
Tbilisi is in me since my childhood – beginning with Nadia Unapkoshvili’s kindergarten in Tskhakaia street – finishing with the Art Academy in Griboedov street – from the first,then 47th schools passing Engels street, where I was born, Japaridze street, where my granny lived, Mechnikov street, where my grand parents lived, then dropping in art workers’ house, so called Stella, Gorki and Arto parks.... During these wanderings numerous caryatids and Atlantes, devils and lions, playing Puttyboys of Barocco and Classicism, ornaments and plants of Art Nouveau or Art Deco were looking at me from the building facades... Dark entrances were still lit by sun rays of the 50- 60s, penetrating through colored stained-glass windows
First of all my gratitude belongs to the people, without whose assistance first two book s of this series wouldn’t see light of the day – my friend Guram Odisharia and his colleagues, real professionals Marine Mizandari and Tamar Lortkipanidze. I wish to recollect all those who have passed on, those who took away love for Tbilisi with them – my parents – Longinoz Sumbadze and Deniza Gozalishvili, my teachers Vakhtang Beridze, Leo Rcheulishvili, Valerian Kedia, Mikheil Chkhikvadze, Archil Kurdiani, Toni Kalandarishvili, close friends Gia Tskhovrebadze, Misha Soloviov, Lova Saprazian, to whose respectful memory this book is dedicated.
I want to thank all my friends, colleagues and all those people who have assisted me in forming the idea and then in its realization... Special thanks to Gia Javelidze, who generously presented me the camera, which has played a decisive role in the implementation of this project.
I want to separately note with appreciation Facebook – where approbation of this project actually happened and by the spiritual assistance of users of which this work has been performed.
I hope this book will appear to be useful for the professionals and people fond of Tbilisi.