Man with a horn for drinking wine (Portrait of Meliton Chkheidze) 1906

This is a portrait of Meliton Chkheidze holding a drinking horn, made by Niko Pirosmani, though we don’t know exactly when. The paint here is laid on thick, really thick, and you can see the texture of the brushstrokes giving the surface of the painting a kind of rugged feel. Pirosmani’s colors, they’re earthy and muted, with these pops of bright red peeking out. They remind me of folk art and how color can be used to highlight and flatten the perspective at the same time. See how the blue of the background seems to push forward? The way he’s handled the texture of the fur, with all these little strokes, really brings out the material quality. It’s as if he’s inviting you to feel the painting, to touch it. Pirosmani, like Henri Rousseau, has this directness, a simplicity in his painting that speaks volumes. You get the sense that every mark is essential, that he’s not trying to trick you with fancy techniques but inviting you to share in his vision.