Vasil Roinashvili

1879-1958

In the studio of famous Georgian photographer Alexander Roinashvili several young men where living and studying the trade. Among them was the cousin of master Vassil, who was drawing well and studying the basics of photography.

Roinashvili was collecting exhibits for Georgian Museum, he has so long dreamed to establish. After the successful tour to Russia, where his museum was well acclaimed by Russian society, he decided to travel in Europe. So, besides attending the painting lessons he was also taking lessons in French. He spent an year in Petersburg where he studied on preparatory courses in Academy of Arts. When he first appeared in classe it turn out that all student were painting the andom Vassil dressed in egzotic national outfit. In may 1898 he ceased his studies because of death of A. Roinashvili and returned to Tbilisi. There he was assined as a manager of Alexander's photostudio and was to continue his work. After one year of work V. Roinashvili left the studio and Tiflis. For a little while he worked in Signagi and in 1902 he traveled to Central Asia- Buhara for a job.

In 1905 V. Roinashvili returned to his homeland, settled in Telavi, married Sophio Kazakhashvili, built a house and made a photostudio on the first floor. He made a beautiful garden in the yard and in the decorate corners of the garden was photographing people. He spent decades working and living there without leaving his countryside.

He was sometimes working on compositions successfully managing to fill the photos with painting. The most distinguished of his work is (Georgian dream come true), where he himself is represented lying in heaven reading newspaper among the attributes of Georgian feast-wine, horns, game and musical instruments, below snowy mountains are seen.

There are also preserved his drawings of an early period. He was particularly good at drawing portraits; easily showing not only resemblance but also characters of those being in the studio. According to his drawings were some strange people from his and his student's group photos identified.

V. Roinashvili was on friendly terms with Kakutsa Cholokashvili. In 1918 he entrolled in his troop and fought a war between Armenia and Georgia. After his return, he didn't scared to photograph famous gunmen "Forest Brotherhood"-s Khareba and Gogia. The series of these photos are still popular in Kakheti.

Several generations of Telavi and it's surroundings have passed before the objective lens of this wonderfull photographer, the image of those are kept on his pictures.

Giorgi Gersamia

Vasil Roinashvili's photos are kept with Tengiz Beridze in Tbilisi


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