Ziga valishevsky, a pole by origin, was born in 1897 in St. Petersburg, but the family soon moved, first in Batum, and then in Tiflis. By his own admission, the drawing he became interested in early childhood, copying the old prints. We have a rare opportunity to publish a reproduction of one of these works, the one about which he wrote in his memoirs, friend and ally of the Ridge at the workshop by K. Zdanevich. "In the spring of 1906 Nikolai Vasilyevich Sklifosovsky introduced me to the Ridge and offered to see how he copied the "last supper". About high and weighty N. V. timidly stood a slender boy of nine or ten, dressed in a clean jacket and short pants. "We must hurry to escape, the child can not copy the great Leonardo", he thought, but N.In. guessing my desire, strictly said, "Come with us". ... Full length of the pinned wall paper, and it shows... I can't believe my eyes, looking dazed and pleased. A copy of Leonardo breathed spiritual life, fascinated by their lightness in execution, confident, strong figure! With effortless skill was painted faces, hands, shapes, folds of drapery, - all this, undoubtedly, testified to an outstanding talent of the young artist." From that day on the Ridge broke into the artistic life of Tiflis and, despite his age, he became a ringleader, a kind of "generator of ideas" in the company of young artists, United subsequently, the futuristic group "410". Under the guidance of experienced teachers, N. Sklifosovsky and B. Fogel, Ridge improving his skills as a painter, studying oil painting and even tries to take up sculpture. It was impossible to imagine the Ridge without paper and pencil. From that period have survived a lot of landscapes, still lifes, portraits and friendly cartoons. Especially "getting" N. Sklifosovsky, whose colorful appearance of the Ridge is transformed in the Laocoon, in Faust, then of the Amur, or Titian. In 1912 when M. Le Dante and brothers Zdanovskii was opened on the painting of Niko Pirosmani, Ridge fell in love with oilcloth ingenious self-made man, was actively involved in the process of identifying his work. By the way, the posters Waliszewski, exhibition which was organized in 1915, clearly shows the influence of Pirosmani. In 1915, yielding to Patriotic impulses, Zig goes as a volunteer to the army. During the year spent at the front, he created a whole portrait gallery of the soldiers and officers of the regiment, which, according to K. Paustovsky, "could outshine its naturalness and simplicity of the famous gallery of heroes of 1812 in the Hermitage". However, war truly failed. With the wording: "exceptional value as an artist", he was discharged and returned to Tiflis covered by the fever left art. The years from 1917 to 1921 was an exceptionally eventful. During this short period of time Zig involved in the painting of the "Fantastic tavern" (with S. sudeikina by L. Gudiashvili and others, collaborates with the magazines "APS" and "Art", draws several books and winning the competition, creates shocking the audience curtain to the Opera house. Personal exhibition in 1920, determined the fate Waliszewski. The then Ambassador of Poland in Georgia, Titus filipowicz, invited him to move to Poland to continue her studies at the Krakow Academy of fine arts. This was the end of the Tiflis period of life Waliszewski, if not the most significant, it really is undoubtedly the most colourful and prolific. Over the next 15 years, Ridge was organized in Krakow art group "Paris Committee" (cupisti), for many years lived in France, many exhibited today and is rightfully recognized as a classic of Polish painting. But if a creative way Waliszewski was covered with some roses, then life did not spoil him. As a result of vascular disease he consistently had both legs amputated. However, chained to a chair, Zig was still upbeat, but at the end of life, and all accomplished the feat lying in a cradle suspended from the ceiling, painted the ceiling Nevelskogo castle in Krakow. Waliszewski died in 1936 of a heart attack at the age of 39 years. At the end of any time periods are usually taken to sum up the results, and the flash of interest in the work of the almost forgotten we have an artist, which equally could be considered as Polish, Georgian and Russian cultures, gives reason to hope that the legacy Waliszewski, will be among the values that mankind will take in the twenty-first century.
(from the article Aram Baileyana "portrait of Zygmunt Waliszewski")