Zurab Martiashvili, a virtuoso Georgian portrait painter, combines a love of mankind and nostalgia for the stories of Jewish tradition. There is considerable humor in the faces of the array of classical figures that the artist portrays with skilled naiveté, humor that creates a look of empathy and vitality that captures the heart of the viewer.

Zurab Martiashvili faithfully represents the Georgian painting tradition of local art based on folklore. The naïve style is related to the artist’s store of childhood memories. Naïve art is usually characterized by idealized scenes from everyday life, stories that venerate innocence, incorporating simple lines and bright, exuberant colors. The paintings are fundamentally figurative and ar...