Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Color letterpress on paper. 1996.
Signature: Z25 / 9/50 / Tõnis Vint ’96

The visual impact of the prints marked with the Z symbol, which were part of the “Mythological Graphics” series by Tõnis Vint (1942-2019), penetrates deeper than just the viewer’s sense of sight. Only Vint himself truly saw into the artist’s philosophical twists and turns, behind oriental image systems. The highly detailed combination of signs and ornamentation on a pitch-black background, whose compositions captivated viewers even in the years the works were completed, has carried over time into the present day without losing an ounce of its significance or contemporary impression.

This rare color print of his “Z25” is like an invitation to a lecture in Vint’s studio where the power of color is discussed. In the black and white print, the intersecting lines that blend imperceptibly into the wearer’s dress on the left side of the work stand out strongly in the color version with their red tone and begin to live a life of their own, separate from the figures. And yet, the plot and the artist’s sensitively drawn lines are the same. In the case of this work, it is one of the designs that most directly alludes to Japanese culture, because on the right side, the artist has placed a samurai.

Vint was and remains one of the most important figures in our history of graphic design, whose timeless influence continues to this day and probably to our future generations as well.

Text: Katre Palm