Tevdore

Tevdore (; fl. 11th–12th centuries) was a medieval Georgian religious mural and fresco painter active in the Kingdom of Georgia, at the royal court of King David IV "the Builder". He is best known for his frescoes of four temples in Upper Svaneti, northwestern Georgia. His late works are characterized by the rich decor, dynamic drawing and an accentuated three-dimensional concept of figure composition. Tevdore officially bore the title "King’s Painter", referring to his prestige and his association with royal authority, during a remarkable time in the history of Georgia, serving under an all-powerful ruler who greatly expanded the monarchy after his victories over the Seljuks.

==Life== He served as a court painter to King David IV, which would testify to his close relationship with the monarch and his high position in the social hierarchy of the time. Tevdore, who held the prestigious title of "King’s Painter", per his inscriptions' clear indication, between AD 1096–1130, he would decorate three churches in Upper Svaneti, the northwestern highland region of Georgia. It is unknown where Tevdore was trained or found inspiration, although his style has some clear reflections of Komnenian art. It is believed that Tevdore was connected with the Iviron Monastery on Mount Athos, a major Georgian centre of religious scholarship. Per an anonymous 13th-century Armenian historian, King David "dispatched forty young men to Greece to study languages and make translations", it's hard to speculate if Tevdore was part of that group.