Eesti kunsti oksjonid
Edgar Valter “Düün”
Kevadoksjon 2025
Oil on cardboard. 1972.
Signature: EW 72
| Measurements | 45 x 63,5 cm |
|---|---|
| Starting price | 2 500 € |
| Number of bids | 2 |
| Hammer price | 2 600 € |
“Dune” is full of fantasy and originality – a painting that could easily serve as the fancy cover of an American science fiction novel. This surrealist masterpiece was completed by Edgar Valter (1929-2006) in the same year as the illustrations for “Nublu” and “Naksitrallid” that won the hearts of Estonians, demonstrating the artist’s ability to move seamlessly between different, unrelated genres.
In folklore, dunes have often been considered to either be portals to another world or places where spirits and souls can roam without restrictions. The refreshing oasis amidst the sprawling sand dunes brings to mind the village of Huacachina in Peru while the light blue butterfly and the abstract element it is currently feeding on come from Valter’s own endless imagination.
The almond-eyed beauty is perhaps Valter’s own version of the Martian princess created by Edgar Rice Burroughs who is waiting for the noble John Carter to come and save her from the flying creature and the quicksand. The confident smile on the girl’s face confirms that the hero is on his way and the story has a happy ending.
Text: Kaspar Allik