2007
Canvas, Mix. medium
"Ali and Nino" by Sergo Tbileli is a work of art, inspired by the famous book about war-torn lovers, Ali and Nino by Kurban Said. In the original story, which takes place in Baku, Azerbaijan and Tbilisi, Georgia during 1914 to 1920, the novel centers around the passionate romance of Ali Khan Shirvanshir, a young Muslim nobleman, and Nino Kipiani, a Christian woman from Georgia. The love between Ali and Nino is forbidden because they come from different faiths. But they are willing to risk it all for each other. The painting shows a melancholic interpretation of their love for each other. On first glance, it appears as if Ali is resting in a flower bed framed by the sky filled with flowers and wind streams; however, upon further inspection it becomes clear that this is not the case. Instead, it appears as if Nino has engulfed Ali's world completely and become figuratively the air that he breathes. She can be seen both in the background and foreground of the painting.
Together, they make up a beautiful whole: Ali is the earth below that nourishes the flowers; Nino is the breeze that blows through them. They are inseparable parts of one another's worlds—and yet still very much apart. It is this paradox that makes their love story so beautiful.It's an allegory of their relationship: they bloomed as their love grew during their relationship, but they could never touch each other because they were always just out of reach.
The additional sides that create the whole three part composition outline the nature that absorbs and etrances the two lovers in a way representing the Caucasus nature that birhted the seed to their love and relationship.The first part, as it is seen by us, the viewer, as the essence of their love and its beauty. The side parts shows us how this beauty is reflected in nature, which absorbs and enchants them. Whilst the whole composition in a way shows us how this experience is repeated in an eternal cycle.