Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Watercolor on paper. 1972.
Signature: R. Uutmaa 1972. / R. Uutmaa “Rannamaastik” 1972.a.

A powerful watercolor painting by the master Estonian coastal landscape artist Richard Uutmaa (1905-1977) poeticizes the Northern coast of the country. Everything that characterizes it – a low, irregular sandy shore, boulders in the sea, towering pine trees, boathouses, boats pulled ashore, a cloud-strewn sky – is formed into a harmonious aesthetic whole.

The artist uses passionate crimson and deep greenish-blue in this 1972 piece. It is a testament to his true virtuosity in the use of color that he has depicted the sea and the sky in the same tone. With the speed required for completing a watercolor, Uutmaa only changes his hand movement to distinguish between the two, and both white cloud clusters and foamy wave crests are created simultaneously in the zig-zag technique. In the pre-sunset light, the beach sand hidden by the rocks also takes on a particularly deep tone, and the pine trees lining the shore tell a kind of love story between the sea and the coast.

Text: Katre Palm, Harry Liivrand