The Interaction of Verbal and Visual Codes in Rezo Gabriadze’s Aesthetic Strategy: The Case of The Eccentrics

Abstract

The artistic corpus of Rezo Gabriadze elicits profound scholarly interest, primarily due to the intricate manner in which literary narrative, theatrical vision, and visual expressivity converge into a singular, unified aesthetic system. Within this conceptual framework, the work Sherekilebi (The Eccentrics) is particularly note­worthy; here, the author’s artistic strategy explicitly transcends the traditional boun­daries of verbal storytelling to incorporate complex visual codes. This distinctive feature necessitates a rigorous critical analysis grounded in the theories of multi­modality and intermediality. The narrative architecture of Sherekilebi functions as an inherently open system, purposefully designed to invite the reader into a state of active co-authorship and visual contemplation. Within this work, verbal and visual codes operate as mutually reinforcing semiotic systems: while linguistic signs estab­lish the fundamental basis for visual perception, the visual elements significantly expand the semantic horizon of the text. It is precisely through this interplay that the multimodal structure of the work is formed, dictating the unique parameters of Gabriadze’s aesthetic strategy.

In Gabriadze’s paradigm, the linguistic layer serves as the primary semiotic impulse, performing a critical preparatory function for visual cognition. The strategic deployment of metaphors, epithets, reduplications, and onomatopoeia constructs a dense semantic environment that activates the reader's capacity for visual imagery. Consequently, the linguistic fabric of the work does not merely serve as a vehicle for narrative data; it functions as the structural scaffolding upon which visual meanings are articulated. Simultaneously, the visual strata – comprising authorial sketches, gra­phic details, and symbolic formulae – transcend the role of auxiliary illustrations. These elements are active agents in the process of meaning construction, effectively broadening the semantic field of the verbal narrative and ensuring that the visual lay­er remains an indissoluble component of the work’s structural and semantic integrity.

Language, in this context, serves as an instrument of "visuality," endowing the written word with plastic form and preparing the reader for the complex process of multimodal perception animated by the aesthetics of Sherekilebi. These graphic insertions and the inherent "pictorialism" of the text are not merely decorative; they constitute a layer that ultimately dissolves the boundary between imagination and reality. The functional symbiosis of word and image imparts an ontological depth to the literary narrative, which stands as a semiotic bridge and organizing center. She­re­kilebi is not merely a story, but a modeling of an existential journey, where Gabri­adze employs the aesthetics of the absurd to demonstrate a manifestation of reality where the miraculous – symbolized by flight – becomes possible. The narrative fabric is woven upon the principle of "carnivalization," where mundane existence is trans­mu­ted into a phantasmagoria. This "local carnival" is noble and constructive, rooted in the humor of Georgian folkloric tradition. The characters are not classical psycho­lo­gical portraits, but "semiotic figures" or "living drawings," whose organic unity se­cu­res the work's singular position within contemporary Georgian intermedial literature.