Phaeton by the canteen 1916

Niko Pirosmani painted *Phaeton by the canteen* with oil on oilcloth. The deep blacks and earthy reds give it a kind of gravity, but it’s also got this wonderfully tilted perspective, like a dream you can’t quite grasp. I can imagine Pirosmani, maybe a bit of a loner, stepping back from his canvas, squinting, adding another layer of ochre to the street. There's something almost theatrical about the scene. I wonder if the figures are based on real people he knew. The brushwork is loose and expressive, especially in the horses. They are like dark, hulking masses of energy. It almost reminds me of Franz Marc's animals, or even some of Philip Guston’s later, cartoonish figures. What is truly magical about Pirosmani is how he just went for it. He showed us that painting can be intuitive and raw. Every artist is in conversation with those who came before, and his naive style still speaks volumes to us today.