Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Oil, acrylic latex on canvas. 2003.
Signature: EOkas 2003

The painting depicting a woman in a sly pose is one of the most frivolous and erotic by academician Evald Okas (1915-2011). However, in this piece, Okas is not content with simply depicting the physical beauty of a woman as such – he places the model in an ancient mythological context, painting a swan as her companion. Thus, for an art historian, the design can be interpreted as a synonym for the famous divine scene “Leda and the Swan”, the veracity of which is enhanced by the swan feather painted in the right foreground of the composition.

The summer landscape surrounding the nude represents Okas as a fast, emotional painter, for whom the variety of colors carries the meaning of joy of life and freedom. The lush, fresh Estonian plants, among which we can recognize here and there daisies, tulips and delicate bellflowers, seem to draw the woman into their embrace, emphasizing the role of man as a part of nature.

Text: Harry Liivrand, Katre Palm