Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Oil on plywood. 1946-47.
Signature: Aiki Ellinor “Maastik” õli 1946-47, 40x 7.5 cm Tartu, Suurturg 8

Ellinor Aiki’s (1893-1969) dot-paste landscapes, with their cotton candy-like texture, seem like delicious desserts on the table of art lovers. An independent artist who, unusually for the time, entered Pallas at the age of 35, she completed her studies under the legendary Nikolai Triik. Her painting style did not care about the fashion of the time and her exhibition at the Tartu Art Museum in the spring of 1969 therefore attracted a lot of attention. It was also an eye-opener for the local art audience and contributed to the appreciation of naïveté in our cultural landscape.

The aforementioned exhibition also featured this work (fixed in the exhibition catalogue under no. 214), which in terms of its technical execution was similar to the painting “Spruces in a row of gooseberries” (1947) exhibited at the same show. Applying different shades of green to the work with thick putty, she simultaneously conveys both the primal power of Estonian forests and their stunning freshness. And did you notice how cleverly Aiki uses the surface of the painting to give the clouds outlines and airiness? This is a special treat for fans of powerful Tartu female artists.

Text: Katre Palm, Mai Levin