Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Oil on canvas. 1964.
Signature: Haamer

“You come into my heart
in white shoes and a summer dress
without opening doors without asking permission
sky blue sword blade
iridescent water over colorful rocks and seashells“

Excerpt from a poem by Indrek Hirve

Eerik Haamer’s (1908-1994) series of seabeds, introduced in the early 1960s, carried impressions of the diverse flora and fauna of the sea and it was from this that a semi-abstract way of imagining began, which the artist later carried over to other natural motifs as well – flowers, moss, the seashore, apple trees.

The hypnotically deep tones, which brought the viewer a crisp Nordic experience of nature, also fitted perfectly with the exhibition “The Enchantment of the North. Estonian Artists in the Nordic Countries” held at the Adamson-Eric Museum in 2014, where one of the other pieces from this series was presented. However, every painting became a separate experience as Haamer varied the marine plants, rocks and prevailing light in each one.

In this piece, Haamer surprises us with fresh greenish-blue and purple-pink, which in terms of tonality and form give hints to his future flower fields. Although the artist reaches almost abstract conditions here, we can already quietly imagine the flowers of milkweeds born in seawater. Through the light and dark and the tones that merge into each other, we also perceive quietly floating algae, caressing the smooth polished stones and soft sandy surface.

Artist Mall Nukke adds: “This painting is somehow very island-like. The transparent water, dotted with bright green and brown algae. Sometimes purple. When looking at the painting, everyday life is forgotten, the joy of the moment remains. At the same time, Seabed can also be viewed in a different way, as an abstract contemporary work, full of colorful flows and iridescence on the canvas.”

Text: Katre Palm, Mall Nukke