Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Etching on paper. 1928.
Signature: Eau-forte 1928 / E. Wiiralt

Eduard Wiiralt’s (1898-1954) “Feast” (also known as “Orgy” or “Table” in the EKM digital collection) belongs to the artist’s turbulent Paris period of the late 1920s. At that time, the grotesqueness that had previously been characteristic of Wiiralt’s graphics and had been influenced by German modernism in Dresden intensified.

Yet Wiiralt does not go overboard because he was able to temper even the grotesque with subtle humor and a sense of style. As if the Last Supper were a piece that pushes the concerns of its time aside, Wiiralt’s brilliant interpretation of human greed is a piece that describes the dark side of modern life.

The summer intoxicant that figures in “Absinthe drinkers” has taken its place in this print as well and it is not far from reaching the level of hallucinations. The party of drinking lasts until the early hours of the morning – or rather, the next one begins! It is understandable why art historian Mai Levin considers this a preliminary work for Wiiralt’s famous “Inferno” and “Cabaret” that were completed a few years later.

Text: Katre Palm