Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Oil on canvas. 1956.
Signature: Allsalu 56.

Efraim Allsalu (1929-2006) was one of the most influential figures in Tartu’s art scene in the 1950s to the 1970s. Allsalu, who graduated with honors from the Estonian Academy of Fine Arts in 1954, loved to paint people, landscapes and flowers, but the latter eventually became his favorite subject.

In the painting “Summer lilacs”, we can see the influence of Johannes Võerahansu who taught Allsalu, in its lush, broad-brushed style. As a subtle colorist, Allsalu paints the purple-blue flowers with dignity and modesty, because this is precisely what allows the white clusters of lilacs, which seem like white foam, to shine. The individual fragments of sunny yellow peeking out from between the latter bring summer brightness and excitement to the composition.

Painter Mauri Gross writes: “The tonality of the painting is characteristically bright and luminous for Allsalu. The chair motif, which is used as an excuse, adds mystery and allegory to the work – after all, beauty comes first!”

Text: Katre Palm, Mauri Gross