Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Acrylic on canvas. 2008.
Signature: Lill / Ado Lill “Akt“ 2008. Lõuend, akrüül pigment 100×75 cm

Ado Lill (1932-2018), the great master of Estonian abstractionism, gradually began to depict the female figure more and more in the 2000s, at first only as fragments, until he reached the full female nude at the end of the decade. Although Lill’s nudes are usually brightly colored and depicted in a sitting or lying position in an undefined space, this painting can be defined as a woman sunbathing on the beach.

Following the modernist tradition, Lill stylizes and generalizes what is depicted but the pieces, painted with a thick layer of pasty paint and emphasizing the bodily contours with charcoal, also play on art-historical parallels – both in composition and on an emotional level. The nude here is reminiscent of the sullen nude in Ingres’ work, for example. However, the longing mood has a romantic undertone. Excellent execution and composition!

Text: Harry Liivrand