Ants Murakin
(1892–1975)
Outdoor View. 1917-1920
Watercolour. Vm 32.2 x 34.5 cm (framed)
price 2 900
In Ants Murakin’s oeuvre, we know mainly of paintings that he completed when he returned to Viljandi after being a prisoner of war and working as a freelance artist in Budapest. This painting from his earlier career is a rare example of Murakin’s mastery of watercolour, probably depicting an Italian town. Murakin works with all sorts of transitions and mergers, but does not forget the atmosphere of the place. The romantic view of an exotic southern environment is part of the Estonian artists’ fascination with Italy, which, before World War II, brought a number of magnificent works with a slightly alien approach to colour and light into Estonian art history. The work is interestingly different from Murakin’s later work, which became somewhat heavier and the same airy elegance was no longer noticeable.