Max Karl Tilke - Tbilisi

Tbilisi

Meanwhile, his growing reputation resulted in his coming to the attention of the Russian imperial court from which he received a small commission. The Tsar was so pleased with Tilke’s work that he was invited to Tbilisi to work at the Caucasus Museum to paint the costumes in the Museum’s collections as well as to undertake an ethnological expedition to enlarge the collection. In 1912/1913 he worked there as a Professor.

Tilke’s plan was to paint the costumes in the Museum’s collections as well as to undertake an ethnological expedition to paint subjects in situ. While this approach was perhaps more creative, practical realities rendered it inefficient. To overcome the many obstacles this method presented, a compromise solution was reached. Each model in national costume was photographed (in some instances the names of the models are still known); then the costume was purchased; and finally, the painting was made from studying both the photograph and the actual costume. The results are works that combine ethnological accuracy with a talented artist’s eye for character, place, detail, and emotion. However, whenever possible, Tilke painted his works directly from the models.