Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Etching on paper. 1964.
Signature: EO64 / 14/18 / Eokas 964

In the autumn of 1963, Evald Okas (1915-2011) managed to travel to Japan with a small group of artists. In addition to drawing, the artist also recorded the genuine impressions he experienced on the trip in a diary, which allowed him to return to the theme of Japan even many years later. The artist completed this piece, sketched with a lively line, the year immediately following the trip. Although Okas had already familiarized himself with Japanese traditions and rituals before the trip, his main object of interest remained its people.

Perhaps that is why the artist has depicted the Japanese national garment in this flowing-line work in a stylized and generalized manner, allowing the wearer’s feminine body shapes to stand out from under the airy and translucent fabric, as if contrasting it with the traditional kimono, which rather conceals the body. The more free-spirited supporting figures add even more excitement, intrigue, and opposition to the depicted scene. Is this the protagonist’s own alter ego whose desire is to break free from social norms? In any case, it is an intimate and charming, masterfully executed graphic print that contains both fragility and bravery.

Text: Regina Mets