Eesti kunsti oksjonid
Kaljo Simson “Jaht”
Sügisoksjon 2025
Oil on masonite. 1966.
Signature: KS 1966 / “JAHT” 1966
| Measurements | 48 x 48 cm |
|---|---|
| Starting price | 1 800 € |
| Number of bids | 1 |
| Hammer price | 1 800 € |
Kaljo Simson (1929-2017), the Great Unknown of the Estonian avant-garde movement, consistently drew on absurdity and unconventionality in his imagery. All of these characteristics – or qualities – are also evident in the painting “Yacht”. A small sailboat glides towards a tropical island covered in palm trees on national romantic waves with Art Nouveau ornamentation, surrounded by a flock of seagulls – they are known to be a haughtily self-aware and free bird.
The painting is filled with romance and courage, longing and beauty, and everyone understands that it is a fantasy picture, which, when painted during the Soviet occupation, was supposed to symbolize a visual escape to freedom. Thus, the title acquires ambiguity – on the one hand, referring to the means of transport itself but on the other hand, the power bubbling in Samson, the hunt for a free life and, why not, for the winds that would help him achieve it.
Text: Harry Liivrand