Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Oil on cardboard. 1968.
Signature: Kalju Nagel / Sügis Arulas Kalju Nagel 1968. a

Kalju Nagel (1918-2005), who began studying at Pallas in the second half of the 1930s but was only able to graduate from the school in 1947 due to the war, is a true patriot of South Estonia. His love for the picturesque domed landscape is expressed in captivatingly articulated compositions and tonal combinations that only the eyes of a true nature lover can see and express.

The 1960s are Nagel’s heyday as a colorist. This was when his impressionistic landscape treatment was airy and the emphasis on perspective deepened the spatial impressions. All of this can be seen in this painting, which depicts the picturesque village of Arula near Otepää – known for its famous mill. Nagel layers the groves of trees on the hillside like a cake and enhances the optical effect by painting the trees growing in the foreground in even more detail. Before us is one of the most powerful works of color in the artist’s entire oeuvre.

Text: Harry Liivrand, Katre Palm