Andrei Jegorov 1878–1954 Courtyard View in Tallinn (Vene Str 6). 1922

Andrei Jegorov, who left Estonia at the age of nine, only returned to Tallinn at the age of 43, a year before the completion of this painting. The freshness of impressions has also found its way into this painting, one of the most interesting in Jegorov’s oeuvre. We are all familiar with his cityscapes and landscapes without people, which often tend to repeat forms already found, but in this case it is a unique work. The vertical format and dense labyrinthine composition are unusual in Jegorov’s work. What we see is a very masterful use of colour, which does not rely on sentimental effects, but rather looks for nuances and transitions in the midst of rather scarce colour possibilities. In addition to the captivating composition and the sensitive use of colour, this time we also see people who, on the one hand, enliven the urban lobby as splashes of colour, but who, on the other hand, add a narrative not usually seen in Jegorov’s paintings. The two pairs of dialogues, the men with each other and the women with each other, with the women appearing to be working and the men appearing to be just moving around, allows for interesting interpretations and assumptions about the plot. The passage into the depths of the painting, with the buildings clustered around it, adds to the romantic mystery, but does not become a miracle. An exploratory painting that adds a new facet to the work of Andrei Jegorov.