Juhan Püttsepp 1898–1975 View of Tartu with the Bridge. 1938

Bottom right: J. PÜTTSEPP

One of Juhan Püttsepp's best-known paintings, which hung in his personal exhibition (1963) and was reproduced in the catalog of the same exhibition, where Voldemar Erm rightly calls the second half of the 1930s the peak period of Püttsepp's work. Showing the painting was a bold move at the time, because the work shows the tower of St. John's Church destroyed in the war, as well as other buildings that the heroic Soviet army had decided to destroy at all costs. The bridge visible in the painting is the Freedom Bridge, which was opened a dozen years before this painting and which was also destroyed by the Russians. We can see the view from Vene Street to Lai Street, where the uniform rhythm of the houses and the harmonizing color harmonies speak of the ideals of the Pallas school of painting: the focus should be on issues related to color, instead of conflicts, let's look for connections, rather historical and timeless motifs. As always, Püttsepp does not depict modern city life, but Tartu in peace and quiet, which gives the work a thoughtful but life-affirming mood.