“Arabesques on the Pirosmani Theme” (1985) was directed between The Legend of the Suram Fortress and Ashug-Karibi, with support from the Georgian studio, Mematiane, which specialises in documentary film. The short can be seen as a complement to Hakob Hovnatanyan. In this case, it is about the work of the naïf painter, Niko Pirosmani (1862-1918). As in the previous film, the camera lingers on details and fragments of the panels, combined with collections of objects, recreations of pictorial representations, the process of painting, and images of orthodox churches. The film uses the frames as border elements between worlds - the real and the imagined, the present and the past. The arrangement of sounds and images creates a mysterious and enchanting portrait of Georgia and its history, in line with the originality and spontaneity of Pirosmani’s oeuvre. (SDB)