Pirosmani paintings in TBC Gallery

The introduction

Hello everyone, I hope, that you are all doing just fine.

In this article I want to tell you about this great Georgian painter Pirosmani. He’s also mentioned by the name Nikala or Niko Firosmanashvili and it’s his surname that is shortened for Pirosmani. He lived in the 20-th century and his paintings are real pieces of art and just recently they have reconstructed some of his paintings and there was this exhibition of those paintings with other paintings, too, and we went there to see them and that’s what I’m going to tell you about.

Well, there were these informations about Pirosmani paintings being reconstructed and everything and it turned out, that they did need much time for that, because the reconstruction of those paintings was pretty hard because of the materials and stuff like that. To tell you the truth, many people were waiting for those paintings to be reconstructed and after all that time, finally, we were able to see those paintings.

I knew, that there was this exhibition of Pirosmani paintings, however, I thought, that they would be exhibited in a National museum or something like that and I was going to search for the exhibition dates and prices and everything, you know, however, then there was this event on Facebook saying that Firosmani paintings were being exhibited in TBC Gallery in February and the entrance was free and I  was pretty surprised and glad, at the same time, because I really wanted to see those paintings and now I could just go and see them.

Well I had been wanting to go to that exhibition for some time until that, however, I couldn’t find time to go there, because their working hours were from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and that period of time was not good for me, as I was busy going to the lecture and stuff like that, so that I thought, that I couldn’t make it to this Pirosmani exhibition. However, one day, when I told about this to my cousins, they wanted to go there, too, so that we decided to go there together on this day, when I was free in the evening and since my cousin loves art, too, she was very glad to be going to Pirosmani exhibition.  We decided to meet at Marjanishvili metro station with each other and then go to the TBC Gallery, which I didn’t know exactly, but I knew, that it was supposed to be somewhere nearby the McDonald’s and the Marjanishvili Theatre.

Well, it was snowing outside pretty hard when I went out and it was pretty much freezing, too, and I thought, that I would freeze somewhere on my way back home, because I would be back late at night, as it seemed, and now it was just 5 p.m. or something like that. It was good, that my brother dropped me off nearby the metro station and I could go there by metro, which is a great transport, if you ask me. I would be in just 10 or 15 minutes to Marjanishvili metro station and I would meet my cousins there and then we would go to the exhibition. 

Well, I got to the Marjanishvili metro station and texted my cousins and they were on their way, too, I mean, they were just a couple of minutes away from the metro station and until they came, I just went across the street and I thought, that they would be across the street, too, however, then they texted me asking where I was and that they were just in front of the entrance of the metro station and then when I told them that I was just across the street, I saw them coming towards me and everything. so that, we went up this Marjanishvili street. We were to be at Marjanishvili street No.7, where TBC Gallery was supposed to be located. We crossed the roads very badly, though, I mean, it was the zebra and everything, however, the cars were moving around and it was kind of confusing where to cross and stuff like that and, well, we still crossed it and made some cars stop and let us cross the streets and then there we were in front of the TBC Gallery, however, we didn’t really know that it was the exact TBC Gallery and we decided to ask the security whether it was the TBC Gallery or not and he told us that it was and we could go inside, so that we did. Well, the environment inside was pretty cool, I mean, everything was very beautiful and kind of in a business style at the same time and we were amazed by the things hung on the walls and everything. then we were asked, where we were going and we told that security guy, that we were going to see the Pirosmani exhibition and the told us to go into this glass capsule or something like that one by one and we would get inside and then we could go upstairs on the fourth floor and we would get into the exhibition. So we went through this capsule thing and it was quite exciting, if you ask me, and then we were in and we could go upstairs and see that long waited Pirosmani exhibition.

There were huge mirrors on each floor, while we were on the stairs and it was a great feeling looking at it, because it was so vast, that you couldn’t really understand what was going on around there.

Pirosmani paintings exhibition

Well, finally we went up on the fourth floor and there we went in the hall on the left and there they were _ the paintings painted by Pirosmani. There were many people in the hall looking at those paintings and exploring them and taking pictures and everything. you know, I thought, that there would be prohibited those kind of things, I mean, taking pictures and everything and I was really glad, when I saw, that people were taking pictures, so that I could take pictures, too, and I could post them on my blogs and share them with you , because those paintings are really important for Georgian people and I would like other people to know about them, too, of course. So, there were some foreigners looking at those paintings, too, and I was very pleased about that, because everyone is pleased, when other cultures are interested in their cultures, you know, I mean, I’m interested in knowing about other cultures and I really like when other people representing other cultures are interested in my culture, too, of course. So that, I was really glad about that. Also, there were some students from the Tbilisi State University and they were from the faculties of journalism and art, I guess, and they were taking some interviews and some things like that, so that they were like practicing their profession and after some time of being there, one of those people came to us and asked whether they could take an interview from us or not and since there were three of us and one of my cousins is studying law and she really knows how to speak and, besides, she really loves Pirosmani art and, well, art in general, we kind of told her to go ahead and have an interview with them. However, they told her, that the interview wouldn’t be printed in anywhere or anything like that, because they were just practicing their profession and it was kind of an assignment for them. So, she just went on and talked about Pirosmani and the paintings and everything and she just talked really well, I must say.

Then we continued looking at the paintings and we were pretty amazed by them, if you want to know the truth. Well, of course, we knew, that the paintings were really fascinating, however, they lived up to our expectations and even beyond, because the colours and the brush strokes and everything were so amazing, that I didn’t really expect them to be like that. And we know, that Pirosmani didn’t really have the canvases or fancy things and he even made the colours for paintings by himself and everything and it’s really amazing to see those paintings painted with such professionalism and stuff like that. When you look at those paintings from far away, you think, that they are really simple and painted in a simple way, however, when you get closer and really look at them, you discover these difficult brush strokes and many colours combined with each other to create one simple dress or eyebrow or something like that and looking at them you are just left amazed by all of this. It’s really fascinating and everyone should see those Pirosmani paintings, if you ask me. And  one of the greatest things about this TBC Gallery was, that these exhibitions there are just free, I mean, the entrance is free and you don’t have to pay anything to go inside and see these amazing things exhibited there and it’s a wonderful thing, if you ask me. You know, there are people, who can’t really afford going to museums in other countries, and I mean, that for example, going to museums in Amsterdam costs 20 Euros each roughly and it’s kind of expensive, you know, and if you are a tourist, you just want to go to the museums and see those things there and you just have to pay for that stuff and there are so many museums there and it all becomes really expensive going to every museum. However, going to museums in Georgia doesn’t cost much and if you are a student, it’s like 1 lari or something like that to go to a museum and going to the movies is much more expensive, I mean , people even pay 15 laris or more for some movie, when they don’t want to pay 1 lari for art exhibitions in our museums and that’s really bad, if you ask me, because that means that you are not interested in your modern culture and things that are happening now and things that are being created and everything. well, there should be more advertising of those art exhibitions, I guess, or I don’t know, there should be something, that will make people want to go more often to those art exhibitions and there should not be just art students and people working in art industry going to those exhibitions, you know. Other people should go there, too, and not visit just those movie theatres and cafes and restaurants and stuff like that.

Anyways, there was this Mirzaani collection exhibited in TBC Gallery along with those two paintings, which were just recently reconstructed and they are Shota Rustaveli and Tamar the Queen paintings painted by Pirosmani. And I must say, that those two paintings were really exceptional and special in the whole gallery, because they had this background colour that made them special, I guess. The background for those paintings were vivid red and that kind of red was not used in any of those other paintings and they were so vivid, that you couldn’t stop staring them. And those two paintings were kind of continuation of each other, I mean, it was a setting in one room and it was just that the paintings were two and not the setting, you know.  We were really amazed by those two paintings and it was really worth it to go and see them in TBC Gallery.

You know, it’s really strange being somewhere and knowing that you are looking at things, which were created some years ago, what’s more, some centuries ago , you know, and it’s very odd, when you stand in front of those things and you know, that they are pretty old and it’s like you are in those years for some time and it’s like you live in there for those couple of seconds or minutes and that’s pretty amazing, you know.

Well, the thing is, that those paintings were just amazing and I’m really glad, that I went there with my cousins and we had a great time being there. And, also, there was this tiny thing _ I painted a painting for my cousin for her birthday and I gave that painting to her that day and we had it with us in the exhibition, too, and it was an honor for my painting to be beside Pirosmani paintings there, you know, and I even took a picture of it with Pirosmani paintings and I was really proud of that, you know. And I could just walk with pride after that!

There was this drawing of Pirosmani in the hall among Pirosmani paintings and this drawing was from Pablo Picasso and it was when he was asked to draw something about Pirosmani for Ilia Zdanevich, who published an article about Niko Pirosmanashvili in 1972, which was published in Tbilisi in  1914 and he asked Picasso to create a graphic drawing of Niko Pirosmanashvili. Then after some time, Ilia Zdanevich’s wife gifted this drawing to Mirzaani Collection and since then, it has been an unseparable piece of this collection to Pirosmani paintings.

So, being there in this TBC Gallery and seeing those paintings of Pirosmani exhibited there was a great experience for us and we were really glad that we came there and didn’t feel lazy or something like that not to go there, you know, because it was freezing outside and one could just change their minds and not go to the exhibition and just be at home in that warm place and everything. however, we did it and we went there and it was really worth it and I recommend going there to everyone. At first, it was announced, that the exhibition would last until the 16-th of February, however, then they announced, that it would last until the 23-rd, so that it was a great news and even more people would go there and see the exhibition, of course, so that it was a really good idea to go there and see those paintings. It’s said, that one should know their own culture and then get to know others’ cultures and that’s what we should do and we should first see our painter’s amazing paintings in live and then go to other countries and see those greatest paintings of greatest painters as we know them. There are so many people, who have seen all those other cultures and don’t know their own. I don’t really accept that and they should know, that it’s not right and first thing, that they should do is to go to their national museums and stuff like that and see those things, that are their history and know their history and know where they are coming from, because if you don’t know your history, then it means, that you don’t know who you really are and where you’re coming from and it’s like you are floating somewhere in air or something like that and can’t really get down somewhere.

Anyways, seeing these Pirosmani paintings and that one of Pablo Picassos was a great opportunity for us to appreciate our great painter and see his paintings in live and enjoy looking at them and, well, the exhibition lasted long, I mean, it was opened on the 5-th of February or something like that, however, it would be better, if the exhibition lasted even longer, if you ask me. Though, it was a great offer for people wanting to see Pirosmani paintings and we really thank TBC Gallery for that.

Photo gallery