Пиросманашвили. Альбом

In the art of Pirosmanashvili, as in any truly folk art, the echoes of ancient traditions are combined with a direct figurative display of living reality. With the simplest, most modest means, he captured the world of old, pre-revolutionary Georgia. The works of Pirosmanashvili captivate the viewer with their depth, strength, truth of life. The artist's work is inseparable from Georgia, from its landscape, its people, it is inseparable from those folk customs, many of which are preserved, others are changing, and others have disappeared before our eyes. On the streets of Tbilisi you will not now see either a bearded janitor with a badge on his cap, or a doctor riding a donkey with an umbrella, or noisily feasting princes or merchants. The appearance of the Georgian village has also changed beyond recognition. Pirosmanashvili's works cannot, of course, provide a complete picture of contemporary Georgian life for the artist. However, his works, deeply vital, bearing the unique features of the past era, are of great artistic and educational value for the modern viewer. Pirosmanashvili is historical in his own way. His canvases depict people of different professions, different social status: rich and poor, janitors, merchants, peasants; the favorite characters of his canvases were the guests seated at the festive table. The artist treated people with warmth and a touch of mild irony. The talented painter painted them as he saw them, painted both from life and from memory, leaving an extensive portrait gallery.