Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Colored linocut on paper. 1955-1956.
Signature: Muusika Värvil. linool 1955/56

Eduard Rüga (1903-1997), who graduated from Pallas in 1939, is one of the most talented Estonian masters of colored wood engraving and linocut. In the 1950s, Rüga, who had moved to the USA by then, became fascinated with Picasso, and so more and more figures appeared in his work. Compared to what was created in Estonia, people were now depicted with a much more modern, sketchy line, their necks and arms becoming increasingly longer.

Rüga was often fascinated by the theme of music as well, and even in scenes placed in a historical context, he treated music in a decorative way. In “Music”, the quartet playing instruments in a Gothic interior are also dressed like musicians from medieval lesson books, and the instruments in their hands are archaic. However, the black moon shining through the window in the blue sky adds a slightly dreamlike dimension and a moment of surprise.

This print was exhibited at the Tartu City Museum in 2023 at the exhibition “Twin brothers Joy and Sorrow. Eduard Rüga in Exile” and is reproduced in the book “Eduard Rüga, Graphic Artist and Painter” published by Endel Kõks, Erich Pehap and Arno Vihalemm (Rooma, 1979, p. 65).

Text: Harry Liivrand, Katre Palm