Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Oil on canvas. 2019.
Signature: J. Arrak 2019 / Jüri Arrak “Läheb suplema” 2019, mai 100×65 õli, l.

The painting before us is, on the one hand, a piece characteristic of Jüri Arrak’s (1936-2022) signature style, containing a fair amount of grotesquery and humor while also having the effect of a scene of two mythical characters at once. On the one hand, the beauty recalls Piret, the wife of the Saaremaa giant Suur Tõll (whom Arrak loved to depict in his works) walking through primeval meadows towards the sea. On the other hand (referring to the title), he interprets in his own way the ancient story on the theme of “Susanna bathing”, leaving the spectators watching the beauty in an imaginary space outside the picture.

Through the image of the eye, Arrak adds a fair amount of provocation to the narrative. The woman’s hands hide her breasts, and the eyes held between her fingers act as all-seeing secret weapons, warning her of the dangers she may encounter on her bathing journey. The painterly values of the work are also emphasized by the foreground and background, which are elaborated with sensitive brushwork.

Text: Harry Liivrand, Katre Palm