Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Oil on canvas. 1981.
Signature: KÕKS 81 / Endel Kõks 1981 / Endel Kõks “Örebro, Storgatan” olja 24×33 cm. 1981

Endel Kõks (1912-1983), who graduated as part of the legendary Pallas class of 1940, made Örebro his new hometown after leaving Estonia. It’s a romantic city in southern Sweden where Kõks moved to in 1950 and where he worked until the end of his life. As a man who loved to travel, he often went on long journeys both there and on the other side of the ocean but Örebro always awaited him back. A kind of home away from home, that is, Estonia.

Kõks was a master at subordinating details to the overall impression of the picture and skillfully poeticizing a simple motif. The same is true of this painting, which captivates with its coloristic subtlety and where hints of Estonia are hidden precisely through the colors. The choice of motif confirms that the artist was not interested in capturing historical landmarks in detail, but in the everyday environment with its normal elements – a bus and a cyclist next to pedestrians. A photorealistic documentary style and almost random framing also characterize Kõks’ other small-scale paintings of cities from the first half of the 1980s.

Text: Harry Liivrand, Katre Palm