Tatar – fruit seller 

Editor: So, here we have Niko Pirosmani’s, *Tatar – fruit seller*, painted with oils in his signature impasto style. I’m immediately struck by the naive composition – the almost cartoonish figures feel folksy but strangely formal. It feels so unique, unlike anything I've seen before. What am I missing? What catches *your* eye? Curator: Oh, honey, “naive” is just the beginning. Pirosmani was the ultimate outsider, a self-taught genius capturing Tbilisi’s soul on whatever surface he could find – often, it’s said, on oilcloth. I love how his figures seem both present and dreamlike, like characters stepping out of a folk tale, or perhaps an overly sentimental film about street life, full of the scents and sounds and characters one encounters along the way. Doesn’t the dog at the center seems a little nervous, perhaps expecting some kind of command? And look at those precarious piles of fruit! What are they selling? Who is buying? Do you think that family has money for fruit? Editor: The family *does* seem well-dressed, I hadn’t thought of them having to save or spend wisely... so what about those wonky proportions? I guess I was thinking “naive” meant that Pirosmani didn’t know how to paint properly, but I can see he's making intentional choices. Curator: Choices, darlings, always choices. Pirosmani wasn't interested in mimicking reality. He was conjuring up something far more resonant - something closer to raw emotion. The perspective, the colours – it’s all designed to get *at* something deeper. The almost brutal impasto technique makes them appear, also, just *plain honest.* Editor: That's insightful! Looking again, his work certainly reflects life. Pirosmani helps one pause and truly consider people on the street. Curator: Precisely. His style serves not as a lack of technique, but, really, as a potent statement of intent. It is not so important WHAT they sell and purchase as WHAT that sale means to both parties. He captured an attitude, or, a memory, even. Editor: It’s true. The painting tells the start of a new story… Thanks!