Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Oil on canvas. 2022.
Signature: “Have you ever fantasized about being beaten up by a girl?” 100 x 140 cm õli lõuendil Alo Valge 2022

Alo Valge (b. 1991), who was selected as a finalist for the 2017 Baltic Young Painters’ Award, is a sought-after name in the Estonian contemporary art scene. He has completed both a bachelor’s degree in painting from the University of Tartu and a master’s degree from the Estonian Academy of Arts. In an interview given at the end of last year, Valge said that his academic journey has finally been completed and that the artist is now in a “lifelong learning” process, which is supplemented by each newly created painting ( https://kultuur.err.ee/1609544860/kunstik-alo-valge-raha-on-illusioon ).

Valge’s work features many authentic American motifs, including vintage cars, colorful cocktails, cityscapes from the past as well as large figurative compositions that are sometimes reminiscent of Ivar Kaasik’s pop art period. Among other things, the artist has depicted specific film scenes in several oil paintings.

Released in 1994, “Pulp Fiction” is one of the most influential films of all time, completely changing the rather dry film landscape of the time and inspiring thousands of film fans — who have many of the film’s quotes memorized — to pick up their cameras to create something fresh themselves. This film is the subject of this large-scale painting in which Valge has captured a scene from “Pulp Fiction” that takes place in Jack Rabbit Slim’s diner.

The moment captured on canvas is of when Mia Wallace, played by Uma Thurman, is commenting on how nice it is when you go to the bathroom at a restaurant and your food is waiting for you on the table when you come back. The dance competition that follows the scene has now achieved iconic status.

Text: Kaspar Allik