Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Acrylic on canvas. 1973/74.
Signature: KÕKS 73/74 / THE ORACLE OF DELPHI Endel Kõks 73/74

Just as Endel Kõks (1912-1983) was passionate about travel, indigenous mythology and ancient cultures, he was also interested in the phenomena taking place in his own time. He often combined his experiences into one design, most often in graphic art, which was easier to reproduce but Kõks depicted more important events in oil and acrylic.

“In 1973/74, he began to link his travel impressions with historical figures and introduced pop elements (“In Memory of Raphael”, 1973/1974; “The Oracle of Delphi”, 1973/74)” is written in the book compiled by Tiiu Talvistu but at the same time, it is acknowledged that based on the surviving black and white reports of the colorful pieces, which seem to consist of mosaics, it is almost impossible to understand what medium they are in (p. 53 “Endel Kõks. With Freedom, Joy and Courage”, TKM, 2013).

The reproduction of “The Oracle of Delphi” in the catalog of the same collection is also black and white and therefore it is a pleasure to present the painting in its full color for the first time at this auction. The title refers to the ancient Greek sanctuary. The oracle that operated there was consulted in both private and state matters but the answers received were often ambiguous and their interpretations offered those in need of help a lot to think about.

The painting, inspired by Kõks’ own trip to Greece, thus contains a hint at philosophical reflections, the creative search for solutions and the importance of respecting ancient wisdom even in the modern world. It is interesting in a way that the round colored circle at the top of the piece and the rainbow in its center appear in Kõks’ work at the same time that Enno Hallek, another pop art artist who emigrated to Sweden, reaches the same image from a classic panel painting.

For Hallek, the rainbow symbolized the sunset in his native Läänemaa while for Kõks, it most likely portrayed the bubbling, flourishing pop culture of the 1970s. The artist chooses a warm light blue sky and a deep blue sea as the backdrop for abstract objects arranged as if in a mosaic, yet painted on canvas with a confident brush.

With this technique, Kõks brings a lushly spontaneous flight of fantasy back to earth from philosophical clouds and proves himself to be an excellent colorist. The piece is reproduced in the book “Endel Kõks. With Courage, Freedom and Joy” (p. 217) by Tiiu Talvistu and in the mentioned text (p. 53), reference to the exhibition on p. 263 (TKM, 2013).

Text: Katre Palm