Elmar Kits 1913–1972 Landscape with Windmill. 1959

Elmar Kits apparently adapted quickly to the Soviet painting requirements, but he still found himself in a crisis. The style of painting became groggy and wooden, which was extremely strange for the Kits, as the painter's handwriting was characterized by an elegant suppleness. In this painting, he has come out of the crisis, because he once again relies on the cascades of dense and intense brushstrokes typical of Elmar Kits. The politically neutral view of the landscape achieves the elaborat characteristic of Kits, which gives the impression of improvisation and balance at the same time. For many artists, the landscapes of their homeland was an opportunity to rediscover the strengths of their painting skills and to offer the viewers something that would divert their thoughts from the everyday life of the Soviet Union. Today, the work can also be viewed apart from its historical meaning: a timeless view of the landscape that tries to create an image of Estonia as an archaic environment.