Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Oil on cardboard. Circa 1960.
Signature: A. Kongo / Motiiv Nasva kalurikülast. Umbes 1960 a. Alfred Kongo

Alfred Kongo (1906-1990), who pursued his artistic career in Tartu and graduated from the neorealist school of painting Pallas in 1940 (together with Endel Kõks and Viktor Karrus), made his mark on the history of Estonian art with his flower and landscape paintings. Coastal landscapes are rare in his work, as he lived inland for most of his life, but this harbor view represents the artist’s ability to depict any motif with playful ease.

Art historian Juta Kivimäe writes about Kongo’s work of the 1960s: “As in the literary works of the Nordic classics or in the works of Grieg and Sibelius, sweet sensual sensuality is almost completely absent here. Rather, in his best works, one can feel a brightness approaching musical experience and an honest attempt to understand and resonate with the picturesque possibilities offered by the motif. (“Alfred Kongo”, Tartu Art Museum, 2006, p. 12).

In this lightly, almost airily painted work, the artist devotes central attention to the coloristic solution – the blue and brown tones have a light and airy effect – just as it should be in a harbor view. The loosely painted net sheds form a charming picturesque backdrop for the bobbing boats in the foreground and the water reflecting the sky, and the fresh impression is a quality of the painting in itself.

Text: Harry Liivrand, Katre Palm