Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Oil on canvas. 1988.
Signature: Heitti 88 / Х. Полли Таллин «Маннекены» 1988.

Estonian hyperrealism cannot be imagined without the paintings of Heitti Polli (b. 1951). At the turn of the 1970s and 1980s, he created several hyperrealistic figural compositions, one of which was the capture of glamorous life. In the painting “Mannequins”, the hottest fashion known from the pages of “Siluett” magazine, or disco chic, and an abstract background painting meet to form a complete, colorful composition.

Polli has processed the photo frame to make it more picturesque and added a dose of irony, but the positively energetic “carpet” has not disappeared. On the contrary, when looking at the painting, it seems to us that its models represent Western values and attitudes and are happy at the same time – a provocative and bold approach considering the time. Polli, who gives meaning to every square inch in his works, throws a provocative twist into the work – an abstract triangular object – asking the viewer whether what we see is really true.

Text: Harry Liivrand, Katre Palm