Masquerade
2015
168x168cm, 66.14X66.14In Each
Canvas, Mix Media
In 2015 Sergo Tbileli returned to the theme of the Venice Carnival, which he first explored in his earlier masterpiece Venice Carnaval (2005). For Sergo, Venice remains a place of art, magic, and historical fantasy a city where imagination and memory merge into one timeless celebration. In Venetian Masquerade, he explores this subject in depth, creating a visual poem about theatre, illusion, and joy.
The artwork is presented as a triptych, composed of three circular scenes, each capturing a unique moment of the Carnival’s spirit.
In the first composition, the artist depicts a marionette player performing a small puppet show with Arlecchino and Colombina , telling a separate small, folk story. The figures are placed in front of a gondola, that also creates a visual bridge to the palaces and canals in background, painted in rich tones of green, turquoise, and gold. The performer’s hands, dramatically extended, give the sense of life being passed into the puppets a metaphor for the artist’s own act of creation.
The second composition celebrates the abundance of Venice. At the center stands a great tray filled with apples, pears, and flowers, symbolizing both material wealth and spiritual virtue. Scattered among the fruits lie the masks of carnival-goers, reminders of the city’s love for beauty and disguise. In the background, bridges and domes rise over the water, blending into ornamental waves of light and color. With the skies filled sparse fireworks.
The third composition brings a vision of freedom and ecstasy. A lady wearing a mask rides a fantastic mighty bird a mix of ostrich and peacock through a swirl of emerald and crimson patterns. Her figure, glowing in gold and rose tones, embodies the joy and mystery of the masquerade. The eternal dance between reality and dreams.
With this work, Sergo Tbileli transforms the Venetian Carnival into a symphony of color and movement. Layer upon layer of paint and ornament create an atmosphere of celebration and reverie. Masquerade stands as a tribute to Venice, a city of music, theatre, and eternal transformation.