Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Mezzotint on paper. 1989.
Signature: Taevatähtede jumalanna. Sarjast “Taevas ja maa”. Metsotinto 47/50 / Kaljo Põllu, 1989

Kaljo Põllu’s (1934-2010) first graphic series in the mezzotint technique was “Estonian Landscapes”, which was inspired by excursions to his homeland with students while working in Tartu in the 1960s. The artist depicts landscapes in a generalized manner, with simple forms, as if they were still untouched by human activity.

When the artist moved to Tallinn in 1975 to be a lecturer at the Estonian Academy of Arts, he had already organized study trips to Finno-Ugric related peoples. Art historian Riin Kübarsepp writes that Kaljo Põllu thoroughly studied primitive art. For example, archaeological finds from the Tripolje culture have revealed that in the perception of its inhabitants, the world consisted of three levels: the earth, the lower or visible sky, and the upper sky, which was invisible. The management of the last two levels was in the hands of the Great Heavenly Mother and in the 1970s, the great Goddess became the most important character in Kaljo Põllu’s mezzotints.

While preparing the print, the artist embodied himself as a person of ancient times, who looked at the surroundings with a different eye than we would today. Man felt himself a natural part of nature. Thus, in “The Goddess of the Stars” (from the series “Heaven and Earth”), the Goddess, clothed in a belt of stars, bows down over the world and man feels her powerful protection. In this recognition, time has stopped for a moment, the surface of the water is mirror-smooth, and a reverent silence reigns.

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

Text: Vappu Thurlow