Pipe 1915

Here's the thing about "Pipe" by Niko Pirosmani, it feels like a stage set, doesn't it? Like the whole thing was laid down in one go. The brown impasto is thick, raw, straight onto the canvas. I can almost feel Pirosmani wrestling with the scene, trying to capture something essential about this outdoor banquet. Those claret jugs, the figures around the table, the barrel lying on its side, it's like he's trying to fix a memory. The perspective is wonky, like a dream. It reminds me of the way some folk art just goes straight for the heart. You can imagine him, brush in hand, trying to figure it all out, layer by layer, until it feels right. It's like he is saying, "This is what I saw, this is how I felt," and that's good enough. And in the end, it really is.