Eesti kunsti oksjonid
Hugo Lepik “Vaade Pühajärvele”
Sügisoksjon 2025
Oil on canvas. 1940.
Signature: H. LEPIK 1940
| Measurements | 78 x 101 cm |
|---|---|
| Starting price | 8 000 € |
| Number of bids | 32 |
| Hammer price | 16 300 € |
Hugo Lepik (1905-2001) began taking part in exhibitions as a young artist and tirelessly traveled on art trips to Scandinavia and elsewhere in Europe. The skills he acquired there were later realized in breathtakingly beautiful views of Estonia, which he regrettably had little time to complete due to his teaching position. It is all the more a pleasure to present the monumental view of Lake Pühajärv, the crown jewel of South Estonia, from 1940, which in its grandeur has the effect of generalizing the enchanting views of the area more broadly.
The artist’s work at that time was characterized by muted green tones and restrained brushwork. Thanks to the perspective taken from a high and distant spot, Lepik achieves harmony between the sky and the water surface and invites the viewer on a journey. A journey through winding paths that pass by powerful deep-green spruces and deciduous forests fresh in the first autumn robes. Until the eye reaches the sacred lake.
Capturing an astonishingly sensitive atmosphere, Lepik paints the water surface so meltingly and softly that the steam rising from it is as if physically felt. The forest streaks disappearing into the mist on the horizon become simultaneously part of the earth and the sky, creating a metaphysically powerful, meditative effect.
Text: Katre Palm, Mai Levin