Priidu Aavik 1905–1991 Port of Tallinn. 1959

Bottom left: P. Aavik 59 a.

Priidu Aavik did not approach ships and the port as a layman: he was a seafaring enthusiast and took part in, for example, creative trips with a fishing trawler in the Norwegian Sea and the Atlantic Ocean and Nigeria during the Second World War. It is known that he went more to the Atlantic Ocean, he also painted in the Faroe Islands, the equator, the coast of Spain and so on, but in the summer he liked to paint the life of Prangli beach fishermen. However, Aavik is not too documentary in his painting, but strives for a poetic dimension. Aavik's composition is interesting: we see rows of vertical objects (cranes, a church tower, a chimney in the background) that rhythm the surface of the painting. Combining industrial motifs with a church tower or a traditional ship motif in turn combines different eras: past and present, progress and traditions.