Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Oil on canvas. 1936.
Signature: A. Kaigorodoff 36.

Anatoli Kaigorodov (Kaigorodoff, 1878-1945), who settled in Estonia in the early 1920s, became a passionate admirer of local culture. Already upon his arrival in Tallinn, he was a renowned painter who had studied at the Stieglitz Art School and the Academy of Fine Arts in Paris and had exhibited in exhibitions in Munich and Berlin before World War I.

We know the artist primarily as a painter of impressionist landscapes and cityscapes and we very rarely find flower paintings in his work, which is why this one, with its Art Nouveau decorativeness, is an important addition to Kaigorodov’s creative heritage. The composition with dahlias shows the master’s lush brushwork as he does not get bogged down in subtle details but adds richness with deep color tones and lines created by the brush itself on the canvas.

He further reflects the pattern of a luxurious Chinese vase on the table, which seems to merge with the rest of the densely painted background. Thus, “Fresh dahlias” adds in capital letters the genre of indoor flower painting into the portfolio of Kaigorodov’s many abilities.

Text: Mai Levin, Katre Palm