Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Oil on plywood. Second half of the 1930s.
Signature: N. K. / MA ARMASTAN SIND Mu kallis tütar

The charm of Tallinn’s relatively well-preserved compact Old Town began to be understood in the 19th century, and therefore the city has been an inexhaustible source of motifs for many generations of artists. In the 1920s and 1930s, Nikolai Kull (1894-1945) became one of the most important portrayers of these views. The warm and pasty colors that characterize his work as well as the use of dark contour lines, went well with the rough walls and pointed towers of the Old Town.

In this work, Kull has created a true “kiek in de Kök” experience, for which he probably had to climb to the top of a tower or to the foot of Toompea Hill. The novel perspective makes the painting stand out from others and opens up a charmingly romantic view of Tallinn’s chimneys towering above the rooftops.

Text: Mai Levin, Katre Palm