Eesti kunsti oksjonid
Juhan Muks “Sirelid”
Sügisoksjon 2024
Oil on cardboard. 1956.
Signature: Muks / Muks Juhan Jaagu p. s. 1899 “Sirelid” 1956 õli, papp 74×58.
| Measurements | 74 x 58 cm |
|---|---|
| Starting price | 3 900 € |
| Number of bids | 1 |
| Hammer price | 3 900 € |
Juhan Muks (1899-1983) studied at both the Tallinn School of Art and the Riga Academy of Arts but his main art education came from Pallas (1919-25). After finishing school, he traveled to Paris for a while and got acquainted with various private academies there. In 1933-38, however, he returned to the art mecca and settled in a house near the city, growing vegetables and cycling to the city on weekends.
Like many other artists of the time, he was removed from the list of the Artists’ Union under pressure from the authorities but by the end of the 1950s, his membership was restored and a new rise began when he further developed his softly painterly, nuanced style that had begun to first take shape in the 1930s.
He spent a lot of time in nature, especially around Viljandi, drew a lot and during the completion of the painting “Lilacs”, he reached a unique, natural-inspired yet abstract style in both landscapes and flower compositions. The lush, freshly painted lilac flowers reflect the changes brought about by the period of revival in Estonian art after Stalin’s death.
Text: Mai Levin