Queen Tamar 

Niko Pirosmani painted Queen Tamar with oil on oilcloth. Georgia, around the turn of the 20th century, was experiencing a period of national revival, with renewed interest in its history and cultural identity. Pirosmani’s depiction of Queen Tamar, a revered figure from Georgia’s medieval golden age, should be considered in this context. Tamar symbolized a time of strength and cultural flourishing. Yet Pirosmani, a self-taught artist, renders her in a deliberately naive style, contrasting with academic portraiture, and challenging traditional notions of artistic skill and representation. He also made a living painting signs for shops and taverns, so his work existed outside the established art institutions and the cultural elite. To understand Pirosmani better, we can look into the social and economic conditions of Tbilisi at the time and examine the rise of Georgian nationalism. We can also consider the role of folk art and self-taught artists in shaping national identity. Ultimately, Pirosmani’s work reflects a complex negotiation between tradition, modernity, and social change.