Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Woodcut on paper. 1971.
Signature: Janu (puulõige) 9/50 / ITORN 71.

Originally from Saaremaa, Ilmar Torn (1921-1999) produced nature-themed works in the 1970s using woodcut techniques, including seascapes, in which large fishing trawlers can be seen between the ripples on the water’s surface and the drifting clouds in the sky. With his good command of the technique, he seemed to have wanted to capture an elusive state of longing, often expressed by the silent gliding of ships through the gray atmosphere. People, the sea and the ships drifting on it were suitable subjects for his then-series “Man and Nature” about which art historian Lehti Viiroja wrote in 1979 that it became not only Torn’s creative peak but also one of the most successful nature-themed series in graphic art at the time. The driving force behind this was the artist’s own deepening interest in problems concerning humans and nature and “Thirst” highlights a more direct turn towards a contemporary, exciting but also close-to-nature approach as well as the artist’s ethical attitude, his ethical self.

This is how the technically virtuosic “Thirst” focuses on the human being. In the print, the natural pattern of the wood grain resonates well with the natural motif conveyed by the musical rhythm. The face of the figure with its Art Nouveau-style elongated neck looking towards the water is a kind of prelude to Kaljo Põllu’s iconic “Thirst” from his “Kodalased” series, which was completed in 1975. It is somewhat significant that, unlike the desert motif usually associated with thirst in art from other parts of the world, both Torn and Põllu, on the contrary, use both the drop motif and the body of water, which once again proves the role of cultural context in interpreting works of art.

The print is also part of the collection of the Art Museum of Estonia.

Text: Vappu Thurlow, Katre Palm