Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Soft lacquer, drypoint on paper. 1951.
Signature: E. WIIRALT 1937 1950 / 60/200 / E. Wiiralt

The grace and dignity of cats inspired Eduard Wiiralt (1898-1954) to depict them often in his early work. In the second half of the 1930s, the artist felt a need for peace, harmony, and closeness to nature, so he created several well-known portraits of children and animals during this period, including his own cat Turvas.

Wiiralt’s favorite place to depict animals was the Jardin des Plantes in Paris where he found tigers, cougars,and lions as models. Due to his frequent visits, some of the animals already recognized the artist, so that when Wiiralt arrived, it is said that the tiger took the exact pose we know from his prints.

In 1947, when Wiiralt received a commission for animal engravings from the Geneva publishing house “La Guilde internationale de la gravure”, the artist returned to his iconic “Lying Tiger”, which he had made in 1937 in soft varnish technique, and now took it up in drypoint technique. In 1950, Wiiralt added the tiger’s smaller brother, the cat, to the work and printed 70 prints of it. While the powerful and all-encompassing gaze of the majestic tiger inspires a sense of solemn peace and security, the cat in the tree is like a reminder that sometimes it is worth stepping off the path for a moment, even if only to create excitement.

Text: Katre Palm