The depiction of harbors was very common in Estonian art history, both before and after the Second World War. The port was often perceived as a certain border point between land and sea, but above all a point of contact between man and nature. In addition to ships standing in the harbor, fishermen coming from or going to the sea were therefore also portrayed. The frequent appearance of the harbor motif in Estonian art shows its significance: for the artist, the harbor could be both an expression of romantic longings and a harsh workplace, a landmark shaping the city skyline as well as a place that creates atmosphere and is a characteristic of Estonian identity.

CITY

Painting flowers does not always mean setting them in still lifes, but flowers have attracted the attention of artists both in vases and in free nature, both in bouquets and in more random connections. Flowers are admired either for their external form and richness of color, or they carry deeper symbolic meanings. Be that as it may, flower painting has always had its place in Estonian art history, and there are few authors in older art history who did not paint flowers.

HEROS OF OUR LIFE

In art history, as a rule, people who are in some way important and who guide the development of society are portrayed. Especially in commissioned art, kings, burghers and generals set the tone. But besides that, artists have always been interested in much simpler natures, which will always remain anonymous in history, but are still part of the social processes. Artists like to observe the immediate nature of such people and the faces that tell about life experience. Observing ordinary people in their everyday environment has undoubtedly fascinated authors in different times and places.

VANGUARD

This chapter brings together one very unexpected and another very expected painting. Endel Kõks's avant-garde experiments are well known, and while living abroad he was able to delve into their research without hindrance. Erich Pehap, on the other hand, has not performed at the avant-garde front until now. We see a work completed as a schoolboy, and Pehap never returned to this style. But this is probably one of the characteristics of the avant-garde: it is always surprising.

KONRAD MÄGI

In recent years, Konrad Mägi has also been discovered by the international art community. There have been exhibitions in very prestigious museums in Rome, Turin, Espoo, Copenhagen, and at the end of November a large exhibition will be opened in Lillehammer. The international attention paid to Konrad Mägi's work proves that his extraordinary talent did not only shape the history of art in Estonia, but is an important part of the 20th century narrative of painting throughout Europe. According to foreign researchers, Mägi is mainly highlighted by two characteristics. First, his special use of color, where the color seems to glow internally and carries strong emotional impulses. Secondly, Mägi's treatment of nature, the intensity and vision of which is rarely seen.

The mapping of Mägi's works has made it possible to determine the location of almost 300 paintings. However, surprises still pop up occasionally. One of which the painting in this auction, which was in the collection of Estonians living in Australia for almost 80 years, and is coming back to Estonia for the first time.

BACK TO THE HOMELAND

After the Second World War, many artists began to paint nature. It was one of the ways for them to distance themselves from politics, but also a way to hold on to the traditions of painting in Estonia, where landscape painting played an important role. Undoubtedly, for many authors, nature was still just a familiar place where they had spent their childhood and youth and whose dynamics they perceived with undisguised intensity. The joy of nature was not only known as a spectacle, but also as a natural environment where being in it was as natural as slipping your hand into your pocket.

WOMEN

The tradition of depicting women in older Estonian paintings is controversial, as there are rather few images of emancipated women and women are often seen as an anonymous symbol or an object of male fantasies. The men in the paintings are usually working, thinking or posing, but the women just are. Sometimes it seems as if they came across the paintings semi-accidentally, in passing, their attitude lacks the activity that the artists wanted and they are rather observed than observers.

EYES

In older Estonian art, it is common that in figural compositions, that is, in paintings depicting several people, the faces are rendered sketchily, with just a few strokes. However, the eyes are always under special attention. Even if the eyes are not painted in detail and realistically, mood and psychology are concentrated in them.

KITCHEN

Surprisingly, this auction has included several paintings where the central scene is the kitchen. There are rooms that are depicted more often than others, but the kitchen is undoubtedly fascinating due to its various functions. In addition to practical purposes such as cooking, the kitchen has always been a social meeting place, as well as a place where the traditions and customs of the past are stored.

HOLIDAY

The frequency of depicting a working and active person is logical, since there is always drama and dramaturgy, tension and effort in activity. Painting a relaxing person, on the other hand, requires a completely different kind of attention, because you have to observe not muscle tension and focus, but instead relaxation and peace. Instead of doing, now the object of interest in the painting is doing nothing.

FLOWERS

Painting flowers does not always mean setting them in still lifes, but flowers have attracted the attention of artists both in vases and in free nature, both in bouquets and in more random connections. Flowers are admired either for their external form and richness of color, or they carry deeper symbolic meanings. Be that as it may, flower painting has always had its place in Estonian art history, and there are few authors in older art history who did not paint flowers.

LIGHT

Next to color, light has always been an important object of representation for painters. Rather, it is not an object, because light is the most difficult thing to put your finger on. We can recognize colors and brushstrokes on the surface of a painting, we can describe composition and motifs, but analyzing light is much more difficult. Artists often do not show the source of light, it seeps into colors and objects, is vague and yet total. Although elusive, light often defines the entire atmosphere of a painting.