Everything Else

I spend so much time listening to music that I inevitably neglect other artforms a bit, though I read quite a bit and watch films regularly. Appreciating visual art has never really been a part of my life, I suspect like a lot of young people. I think if I were to make an effort I could probably get some enjoyment from it, maybe I will one day.

But for the moment I’m quite ignorant when it comes to paintings or artists. I do think the theory that the less interest you have in an artform the more intense your enjoyment of a small number of works or artists will be is a very valid one. For instance I find it extremely difficult if anyone asks me what my favourite band or album is, there are just too many acts I like for too many different reasons to name just one. However with painting, I can probably say one of the few artists whose work has really hit me is a Georgian named Niko Pirosmani.

I came across his stuff by accident a few years ago when googling a picture of a wild boar, for some stupid reason. I found the above painting, which to me is an amazing and forceful piece of work. I like the innocence of the pictures, they give an almost unreal, childlike view of situations which are vernacular and everyday, a sort of intentionally naive look at the mundane or the serious. Here are a few examples.

“Childless Millionaire and Poor Woman Blessed With Children”

“Prayer”

There’s a film about Pirosmani but I’ve never seen it, I amn’t even sure it has English subtitles, it would be interesting to see though. You can find lots more Pirosmani painting here. It’s interesting for me to write about something like this as I lack the technical vocabulary and am unaware of what fits where aesthetically in the visual art world. ButI hope you enjoy these paintings too. Any recommendations of similar stuff would be great.