Niko Pirosmani

Niko Pirosmani painted the everyday life of Georgia: feasts, fruit sellers, fishermen, deer and wild animals, set against flat black grounds. He often worked in oil on black oilcloth, leaving the dark surface to show through, which gives his pictures their strong, bold look.

Born in the village of Mirzaani in Kakheti, he taught himself to paint and made his living painting signboards and pictures for taverns in Tbilisi, often in exchange for food and lodging. In 1912 young artists noticed his work, and after his death he became Georgia’s best known painter. The largest collection is at the Art Museum of Georgia in Tbilisi.

A Wedding in the Old-Time Georgia and A Tatar Fruit-Seller show his clear shapes and deep feeling for his country.