Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Oil on canvas. 1980.
Signature: Kõks 80 / Endel Kõks 1980 / Nysnö Pol. 12.nov.1980 24×33 olja, Endel Kõks

It is rare to find winter views in the work of Endel Kõks (1912-1983) but knowing his so-called “suitcase format” exhibition held in Stockholm in 1980, one can assume that this one was created to diversify the selection (or at least inspired him to continue using canvases of the size he had become accustomed to when traveling).

At first glance, the view of nature seems rather unpretentious but when we delve deeper, we find a whole series of fascinating stories within. On a sunny winter day, city dwellers who have come to smell the crisp air have parked their cars in the parking lot next to the playground but for the artist holding the brush, this red spot of paint on the white landscape immediately takes on the role of an accent that creates freshness and excitement.

For Kõks, the second car driving on the highway becomes a kind of staffage, the generalized form of which leaves us wondering which way its occupants are heading exactly. The playground buried in snow in the foreground, however, leads us to think of the hope of spring, of the longing for the players.

The painting is reproduced in the catalogue section of Endel Kõks’ monograph “With Courage, Freedom and Joy” compiled by Tiiu Talvistu in 2013, repro no. 359.

Text: Katre Palm