Eesti kunsti oksjonid
Kaljo Põllu “Uni”
Sügisoksjon 2025
Mezzotint on paper. 1973.
Signature: Uni – “Kodalased”, metsotinto 18/50 III / K. Põllu, 1973
| Measurements | plm 30,5 x 43,5 cm |
|---|---|
| Starting price | 3 800 € |
| Number of bids | 18 |
| Hammer price | 7 200 € |
“…everything around us is sleeping. The trees are sleeping, the flowers are sleeping, the stones and stumps are sleeping, the water is sleeping and the earth itself is sleeping beneath us. I guess that’s how it’s set up. But will it always be like this? Maybe the trees, stones and springs are awake when we sleep. Maybe the earth is also awake at night. /…/ Maybe now is just our time, we have a time to be awake, others have a time to sleep. If so, then perhaps it will be our time to sleep and the stones, trees and earth have a time to be awake. What kind of world will it be then?”
—Jaan Kaplinski
The Finno-Ugric mythology that forms the foundation of Kaljo Põllu’s (1934-2010) work carries with it the timeless inheritance of life wisdom and legends from generation to generation. The softness and melting transitions of the mezzotint technique helped to amplify the primal magic that Põllu often transferred to the plate when depicting night light. The works of his “Kodalased” series, which has become one of his most iconic, seek answers to important existential questions: where have we come from and where are we going? Therefore, it is no coincidence that it was for this series that Põllu was awarded the prestigious Kristjan Raua Prize in 1975.
The very first work of the “Kodalased” series, “Sleep” carries a message about the ancestors’ belief in the importance and prophecy of sleep. Dreams could predict the course of the next hunting day or the journey to more fertile berry and mushroom forests – everything that helped the gathering culture was as important a part of life as the waking hours were.
The united community resting in the warm embrace of the protective earth is depicted as harmonious and peaceful, while the faithful dog guarding them is awake to open the gate between the two worlds in case of danger. Põllu has expressed the floating state in the dream world with cloud balls glowing in the moonlight in the background, giving off a warm light.
“Sleep” is also part of the collection of the Art Museum of Estonia.
Text: Katre Palm