Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Charcoal, pastel. 1976.
Signature: J. Arrak 76. / Jüri Arrak s. 1936. “Rändur” 1976.  70 x 100 süsi, pastell

Jüri Arrak often combined charcoal drawing with pastel painting, giving the work visual depth and contrast. In these pieces, Arrak goes into detail with charcoal but is much more general in pastel, thus creating images that are both technically and narratively multi-layered.

“Traveller” which dates back to the first decade of his powerful creative outburst, the 1970s, is a phantasmagorical work. The man pushing through the mist towards the barn has something of both Kalevipoeg and Kristjan Jaak Peterson in him. The man moves from light to shadow but he also brings pieces of this light with him into the night.

The pink finger-like shapes visible on the left side of the composition suggest that someone the man had just met might have been left behind. Isn’t this a generalizing story about the meeting of Dawn and Dusk? A romantic memory of a midsummer night’s dream?

Text: Harry Liivrand