Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Oil on canvas, pasted on cardboard. 1955.
Signature: K Polli 55. / K. Polli 41.5 x 31 Raadivere mäelt taamal Palamuse

Kaljo Polli (1928-2004), born in the village of Raadivere in Vooremaa, developed into an artist under the careful guidance of Johannes Võerahansu. The subtle sense of color acquired from his teacher can be felt throughout Polli’s work, including the view of Palamuse painted from his hometown.

The emotional play with colors, their fusion and simultaneous prominence, create an idyllic picture of Palamuse, which has forever been entrenched in the hearts of the people with Oskar Luts’ legendary “Spring” and which, viewed from the top of the hill, looks like a fairyland immersed in greenery.

At the time the painting was completed, Luts’ work was in high demand; 11 volumes of his “Collected Works” were published between 1952 and 1967, and in 1955 his play “In the Backyard” premiered at the Estonian Drama Theatre, which was also made into a film in 1955.

However, for Polli, the view from the top of the hill meant much more – countless bright childhood memories and a love for the homely, winding forms of Vooremaa. Polli’s wife Ellen was also an artist and the creative gene has also been passed on to their descendants, son Heiti Polli and grandchildren.

Text: Mai Levin, Katre Palm