Molokani Carousing 1905

Pirosmani made "Molokani Carousing" with oil on oilcloth, and the dark surface is the bedrock for this rowdy party scene. Pirosmani wasn't interested in blending or fussing; the paint is direct, almost like house paint, and I get the feeling that he knew exactly what he wanted to say with each mark. Look at that guy sprawled out in the foreground! There’s something about the way he painted that mustache, those little details, that just crack me up. The way he is laying there with his glass, you know this is not his first glass. In terms of contemporaries, Pirosmani reminds me of Henri Rousseau, another self-taught painter who was interested in creating his own visual language. There’s a directness, a kind of folk-art simplicity that belies a real sophistication. It's a painting that embraces the messiness of life.