Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Oil on canvas. 1960.
Signature: Haamer 60

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Pallas graduate Eerik Haamer (1908-1994) traveled to the coasts of Spain and Portugal. He had already grown fond of the beach life in his home town of Kuressaare, and the Iberian Peninsula also fascinated him. Haamer was inspired by simple people, fishermen, bullfighters, and their characteristic types – fascinatingly different from Nordic people.

The temperamental and colorful tonal scheme there also made it possible to create this magnificent landscape painting of the life of the coastal people – one of the most interesting depictions of Iberia in Estonian art. The dynamics of the piece are based on the diagonal structure of the composition, while the entire rich color palette is unified by the brownish overall scheme.

But more than the intensely colored boats, Haamer is fascinated by the people whose ethnographic details such as striped shirts and pants or scarves add great local authenticity to the work.

Text: Harry Liivrand