Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Oil on canvas. 1962.
Signature: ALBO

The emergence of August Albo (1893-1963) highlighted him, among other things, as a cultivator of an exceptional dance genre in our painting. Although Albo also depicted other dance productions, “La Sylphide”, first staged at the Paris Grand Opera in 1832, is one of the closest to his heart as this event was considered the beginning of the Romantic ballet era and it fit perfectly with the nature of Albo’s own work.

Albot, who had studied dance himself, is captivated by the fragility of the dancers in this production and the subtlety, precision, and rhythm of their movements. His task is primarily to express feeling and mood, and he achieves this. The finished painting became so popular that “Sylphide” was chosen as the cover image for a classical music LP released in the USA in the 1960s, which the buyer of the piece receives with the painting.

This work was also exhibited in 2023 at the Allee Gallery exhibition “Estonian Artist August Albo – A Painter of Beauty from New York”.

Text: Harry Liivrand, Katre Palm