Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Drypoint on paper. 1934
Signature: 10/10 Kuivnõel / Eduard Wiiralt

For the first time in Estonian auction history, we are pleased to present Eduard Wiiralt’s (1898-1954) rare “Card Players”. The last, tenth print of which will reach art lovers from the estate of graphic artist Richard Kaljo to whom Wiiralt most likely once gave the print personally.

The scene of card players has been a beloved theme in art history, especially since the Renaissance, allowing artists to convey various psychological situations, facial expressions and body language. Wiiralt, who had by this point left his wild years behind, also emerges with new pieces dedicated to realistic art and everyday motifs, one of the means of expression of which is the card game, which was almost a part of everyday life at that time.

In 1934, Wiiralt completed two versions of the graphic sheet in drypoint technique, both of which are also part of the collection of the Art Museum of Estonia. The first one shows three elegantly dressed men, the second two, because according to legend, they were diplomatic staff and the one on the left did not want to show himself in the entertaining scene. So, Wiiralt scratched him out of his design.

However, the artist decided to shape the second version into a final one because just like that, semi-accidentally, a new and exciting composition had emerged on which to tell his story. The print depicts the central man in a suit, focused on his thoughts in the foreground while the figure on the left has turned his gaze to an imaginary figure outside the composition, as if representing a spirit, signifying the usual display of curiosity about the cards of a fellow player in a card game. As usual, Wiiralt has once again captured something very human here.

Text: Harry Liivrand, Katre Palm