Line, color, and form are of great importance in architecture. For this reason, since its founding, the Faculty of Architecture has taught three branches of the fine arts: drawing, painting, and sculpture. As the great thinker Denis Diderot said, “Do not trust an architect who cannot draw” — a maxim well known to architects.
Drawing and painting are compulsory subjects, covering the first two years of architectural education (three semesters), while the elective subjects — graphics and sculpture — are each taught for one semester in the second year.
In 1991, the Fine Arts Department No. 106 was established, later reorganized into the Division and Department No. 604, headed from its founding by the artist, Professor Emeritus Robert Chocheli.
From 2015 to 2021, the department was headed by the artist Professor Maia Sekhniashvili.
The purpose of the Fine Arts Division is to develop students' artistic thinking. Acquiring these basic artistic competencies requires completing the practical course prescribed by the program, which is essential to a future architect's professional formation: developing professional skills and cultivating line, color, composition, proportion, scale, and artistic-creative thinking. Various materials are used in the course of the work, including pencils, pen and ink, charcoal, pastels, brushes, watercolor, gouache, plasticine, and plaster, among others. Particular attention is paid to architectural sketching, for which students take part in practical sessions held en plein air. This helps develop the ability to quickly analyze what is observed and render it on paper (in two dimensions).
Drawing is a discipline through which students learn, using pencils or other drawing tools, to represent three-dimensional objects existing in space on a flat surface. Drawing skills develop future architects' visual perception and shape their spatial-volumetric thinking. Ultimately, students should be able to convey a concept or idea through sketching and resolve various practical and artistic tasks. With a solid academic grounding in drawing, a student gains confident control of the hand, can produce sketches, and can correctly analyze space, perspective, interiors, and exteriors. A culture of sketching helps one think quickly in space and correctly organize tonal and linear effects, for which working in mixed technique is advisable.
The painting course covers the fundamentals of watercolor painting technique and the skills required for it. This enables students to correctly perceive, through color, the volume of objects existing in space, and to convey their texture while preserving color and tonal values — developing pictorial solutions and artistic vision. Through the use of color, students learn to relate a subject to its surroundings and to convey emotion. Harmony of color makes interiors, exteriors, and facades pleasing. By mastering the painting course, students gain the ability to correctly perceive, through color and tonality, the volume of objects existing in space. The course covers the fundamentals of watercolor painting technique and the necessary skills, enabling students to work creatively on sketches and projects using mixed technique. Watercolor painting is a foundational technique for architects, since most of their special compositions are executed in this medium.
Sculpture, as a plastic-expressive branch of the fine arts, helps develop students' spatial thinking and their ability to create volumetric forms using solid or plastic materials — metal, stone, clay, wood, and plaster. A cultivated sense of form allows students to perceive a model in space at the scale that reflects the reality of the object. After completing the sculpture course, students will be able to correctly perceive, through form, the volume of objects existing in space; to sculpt forms with their own hands; and to visually convey architectural forms in volume. Students work in various materials (plasticine, clay, plaster).
After completing the courses in drawing, painting, and sculpture, students will be able to correctly perceive, through line, form, and color, the volume, scale, texture, and color of objects existing in space, and to convey ideas on paper. Students should master the culture of sketching, understand architectural concepts in artistic terms, and approach the realization of a project creatively.
Over the years, well-known artists have worked in the Fine Arts Department, including Heinrich Hrinevski, Shalva Mamaladze, and Giorgi Sesiashvili; Honored Artists of Georgia Irakli Ochiauri, Otar Sekhniashvili, Levan Tsutskiridze, Tengiz Japaridze, Givi Kandareli, Kimi Tabatadze, and Demna Bakradze; and artists Robinzon Chocheli, Aleksandre Nazarishvili, Leila Chokheli, Leila Rodkevichi, Murman Mikaberidze, Dimitri Tsutskiridze, Leila Shelia, Nino Tsitsishvili, Buba Ochiauri, Mamuka Chkoidze, Giorgi Chachanidze, Nika Gabunia, Maia Maghlakelidze, Mzia Chopikashvili, Koba Kuntelia, Revaz Khasia, Maia Nanobashvili, Lali Kutateladze, Bidzina Kavtaradze, Davit Tabatadze, and others.
Artists currently working in the Division include Professor Maia Sekhniashvili; Associate Professors Maka Zhghenti and Ketevan Gagoshidze; visiting Associate Professors Maka Gotsiridze, Lali Toidze, Eka Tsindelani, and Gia Amiranashvili; and instructors Rusudan Bulia, Giorgi Tsintsadze, Lika Kervalishvili, and Beka Chkhaidze.
Over the years, the Division's faculty have held numerous successful solo and group exhibitions, both in Georgia and internationally. Their works are held in various museums and private collections (see the catalogues of the Artists' Union).
Solo and group exhibitions of students' drawings, sketches, paintings, and sculptures are also organized on a regular basis.
Each of these has played an important role in shaping and developing the artistic and aesthetic thinking of generations of future architects.