Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Oil on canvas. 1986.
Signature: Lembit

In the portfolio of the great master of Estonian mythology, Lembit Sarapuu (1930-2024), we do not encounter pure nature images too often, although he has depicted the landscape as a background in his paintings a lot. Poet Hasso Krull has written: “Sarapuu’s paintings are basically divided into two categories: images that have not been seen before, and images that seem to have been seen somewhere, only I do not remember where…” (article “Lembit Sarapuu maailmalõpp”, Sirp 1.07.2022).

This is exactly the case with Lembit Sarapuu’s “Forest lake” in which the artist, whether he likes it or not, mixes a dose of nostalgia into the painting, for a happy natural experience. By choosing a high vantage point for painting, he emphasizes the panoramic view and the spatial effect of the mountain landscape. The latter is in turn emphasized by the forest massifs bordering both sides of the composition. Sarapuu seems to lead us into a deep forest full of magic where the blue forest edge smoothly transitions into the expanse of the sky, which in turn is reflected in the lake’s eye. Here, in the protective shadow of the deep meadows, magic is about to be born…

Text: Harry Liivrand, Katre Palm