Sanat

Niko Pirosmani 3

The Feast of Five Noblemen
Among about 200 of Niko’s works only a few are dated. The given picture is among these rare examples, in which we see the date of creation – 1906. In the opinion of Pirosmani’s researchers, his heritage was created in the last 20-25 years of his life. This is the period in his lifetime when art becomes the only occupation and, as we can suppose, his only meaning of life.
There is a scene of a feast created with a specifically Pirosmani-like breathtaking laconicism. The scene depicts the feast of five lords. The concrete moment in traditional Georgian celebration at the table “supra” and the same time stopped motion – the scene of feast below the time, with the inclusion of representative portraits of lords.
The work is notable for its bright colors, daring combinations of blue and red…The color plays active part in creation of compositional rhythm. You can observe how red triangles are repeated in lords clothes. The composition is symmetrical with a simple rhythm and clear silhouettes of the figures.
The colorization of this artwork reminds us of the best Georgian Christian frescoes, where wonderful active bright colors are distinguished with very special fine simplicity.
Photos: Füsun Kavrakoğlu, Georgian Museum of Fine Arts, Tbilisi, 2025.

The genre of still life occurs in various forms in the painter’s work. It is often included in genre scenes. Seven still lives have survived in independent form. This is one of them.
Black oilcloth, which represents a neutral and at the same time effective background, is fully loaded with objects. The regularly depicted nails above point to a wall, which is an indication of the real, material and at the same time, the representation of the table is ignored. However, for the eye, the absence of the table, the conventional, simplified depiction of forms as well as disrupted proportional interrelations are quite convincing.

Arsenal Hill at Night
Niko Pirosmanashvili painted Arsenal Hill at Night circa in 1900-1905 for the owner of a tavern. Later on, the painting found itself in another collection. In 1957 it was purchased by the Soviet Government and was presented to French poet Louis Aragon at the 60th anniversary.
After the death of Louis Aragon and his wife Elsa Triolet, the painting moved into possession of their heir Jean Ristat. Finally, in 2015 at Christie’s auction it was purchased by a Georgian collector and was presented to Shalva Amiranashvili Museum of Fine Arts.
The way the houses on the slope of the hill are depicted is significant. They are created with amazing expressiveness and simplicity – we see the light from the windows so that the contours of the houses and windows are not outlined. Their existence is indicated only by glimmering light. One of his expressive artistic motives is presented in this painting: night blue sky with the white moon and clouds.

Information panels of Georgian Museum of Fine Arts in Tbilisi.