Georgian Painter Gela Jincharadze Transforms Illness Into Beauty

The drawing shows a bearded, middle-aged man, sitting in stone walls, looking like a cave, a deeply thoughtful face lightened by fire, with a cat nearby. This is the picture of the inner face of artist Gela Jincharadze, and he painted it at the age of seven.

The painting appeared to be a predictor of his future feelings and emotions.

For Gela, now 44, is still making paintings, remarkable paintings that show a distinct voice and authenticity. An “intellectual child” is how painter and current art student Ana Khonelidze describes him. She compares him to Matisse, but quickly qualifies that by saying “Gela is more close, and realistic, with a child’s technique than Matisse with his vogue, mysterious paintings. Gela comes closer to my heart and feelings.”

Gela also struggles with a mental illness that has plagued him since childhood, characterized by wild mood swings and paranoia. He shares a two room flat with his mother,Merry. She takes care of him, alone, since his father left years ago willing to leave alone. He was treated in Bediani Mental House and now lives under psychological control. He continuously takes drugs, but the thing that helps Gela most is painting.

About four years ago Dr. Lali Bandzeladze, the head of an art therapy program at the M. Asatiani Institute of Psychiatry, met him and saw his work at a street exhibition. At the same time she was holding a charity exhibition of artworks created by the users of mental health services, and she was so excited she asked if Gela would have a show with them. The show nearly sold out.


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It’s hard to imagine, upon meeting Gela, that he experiences such low moods. At a recent art exhibit in Tbilisi’s Amirani cinema house, Gela stands beaming and smiling, kindly receiving his audience in three different languages – Russian, Georgian and English. He is surrounded by his creations – peaceful doves, red ladies, blue cats, a woman in the bath.

“It is very interesting work, very positive, more related to the pop-art genre. It’s very modern way to reflect inner emotions and thoughts on canvas,” says painter Rusudan Gobedjishvili, who keeps eye on his paintings by internet.

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Gela’s therapists have noted the calming effect painting has on their patient, and that as his success grows, so does his mental health.

“As a doctor I am happy to see how Gela is recovered by doing art,, his conditions was really dramatic and has thoroughly changed after public interest in his works,” says Dr.Bandzeladze.

The illness is also an important part of his painting process. It causes him great anxiety and depression about ten days of each month. Out of each period comes several drawings and at least one painting, he says.

“First I calm my mind, smoke a cigarette, drink some coffee, then at the end of a week or ten days, the painting comes, very quickly,” he said.

He uses gouache on board but plans to change it with oil and canvas. Though he works according to his own specific vision, he is inspired by the great impressionists, Van Gogh, Cezanne, Matisse.

“I stand on their shoulders, all artists do,” he says modestly.

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Gela never went to art school, though he has painted since childhood. Instead, he became a medical student. But he left after two years studying in school. He couldn’t adjust to the hard regime of studies.

“We should be told from very childhood that we have to carry some load for life, and we will, without frustration,” he says philosophically.  

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At Bediani, a mental house located in a Tbilisi suburb, Gela was treated for nine months. It was an awful place, he says, but Gela was writing letters surrounded by pines in the nearest forest. He knew how to enjoy with solitude “Everyone should learn through his life to be patient,” he says. You should dedicate at least 20 year of wait in any business you do. This is how you succeed.”

Gela and his mother struggle to survive financially: in fact, his painting sales have managed to boost a monthly income of only 80 lari per month, the amount allotted by the state for people leaving below standard of leaving verge.

“As a painter you should have at least two people aside. One who encourages you and another who cares about your art, ” Gela says. In this case, his mother, Merry, fits the first roles  Merry brought up Gela with difficulty but she never lost faith in him,“I have kept each painting by Gela and I think it’s precious treasure,” she says.”

She is also sometimes the subject of his work.

Another role is always shared by people surrounding him and some organizations. The one that constantly encourages Gela to hold exhibitions is "Global Initiative on Psychiatry - Tbilisi" 

At the Amirani Movie house exhibition, organized by the same organization, Gela is delighted as one American purchases a painting, a picture of a pile of apples and persimmons on a table, topped by a middle-aged woman staring wistfully at the fruit. “There is a story to this painting,” he tells the American. “My mother came in one day with these fruits, and they were so beautiful, I just laid them out on a table, and painted her and them in just few minutes"

He signs the painting “Thank you for your choice.” And he seems to really mean it.