Ann Audova 1904–2001 Double Portrait. 1960

Without signature

An exceptional example of Ann Audova's work, representing the core starting points of Audova's work. Audova was born in Tartu County as the penultimate child in a family of fifteen children. Despite the apparently tight circumstances, Audova transferred to the Pallas´ School of Art, where she studied for 18 years, without officially graduating from the school. It is said that peace of mind at work was important to Audova above all, and this was provided by the school walls. In later life, Audova completely focused on art, giving up, among other things, starting a family and delving very deeply, painting some works for years and also repainting old works, adding to them. She never pushed forward, did not engage in the games of the art world, even refused solo exhibitions. Having withdrawn and completely devoted herself to art, she was one of the post-war authors. There are also two versions of this motif: the smaller one is in the Tartu Art Museum, the other is now here. Even as a student, Audova was masterful at depicting faces and muscle sculpting, and sensitively expressed emotions, sensations, and thoughts are also added here. The materiality of the work, the relief of the color is important. According to Eerik Haamer, Audova "didn't look at the picture, she felt it with her hand and if it didn't satisfy, she didn't make the picture at all." "Different types of surface covering and structural angles make Ann Audova's paintings rich in variety. Sometimes the painting is sparser, sometimes very multi-layered, sometimes a lush piled Cornish texture," Enn Lillemets wrote.

The Tartu Art Museum collection (TKM TR 7205 M 1271) includes a similar work: "Heads" 1963, oil on canvas 33.5 x 48 cm