Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Oil on canvas. 2000s
Signature: A Puström Uus.

Arville Puström-Uus (1921-2014), originally from Merivälja in Tallinn, studied at the Tartu Higher School of Fine Arts during the war but was forced to continue her studies as a refugee in Düsseldorf in Germany where the state gave war refugees the opportunity to study at local universities free of charge.

The young woman’s advantage in doing well there was her good command of the German language, through which she also helped many other compatriots get back on their feet in the camp. The artist graduated from the Düsseldorf Academy of Arts in 1949 and then moved to the United States.

There, she belonged to several local organizations but also actively communicated with Estonians in Canada and was a member of the Estonian Artists’ Association there. Based on memories and old photographs, she painted mainly views of Tallinn but Tartu had also grown close to her heart since the Pallas era. Thus, in this painting we see an idyllic view of the old town of Tartu where the tower of St. John’s Church can be seen in the distance.

In the piece painted from memories, we notice that the clothes of those walking on the street also belong to the 1940s when Puström-Uus lived in Tartu. The painting carries a bright memory of a time when everything was good and who knows, maybe one of the two ladies depicted in the painting is the artist herself who has met up with her friend and is about to enter the University café on the left.

Text: Katre Palm, Mai Levin