Lydia Mei 1896–1965 Pääsküla During a Winter Night. 1952

Lydia Mei’s meditative Pääsküla motif tells an intimate story of home. We can see the semi-deciduous trees characteristic of the Pääsküla bog and sense the snowy silence and sound. The glimmering moon high in the sky tells us that it is night time, that people are in their homes, no more hustle and bustle. The artist puts herself in the position of the viewer and observes the scene from a distance, as if she were in the swamp with the viewer and on her way home. We feel the urge and the longing to cross the home field, but for a moment the artist has stopped and captures the sweetest part of the journey home, with only the last few metres left. With a tiny detail, a short brushstroke, Mei has depicted the light in the window of a home, which becomes the most important event of the whole painting: it enlivens the composition, but more than that, it speaks of the inviting and warm light in the window.