Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Watercolor on paper. 1950s.

For Nigul Espe (1907-1970), who graduated from Pallas in 1932, the university city of Tartu was an endless source of inspiration. Considering that he also reflected the city’s everyday life during the Second World War and its reconstruction period, the artist’s works have also become an important documentary source of the architecture of that time and the development of the city in general. Espe also played an important role in the development of Tartu’s café culture, as he was the owner of the legendary KoKoKo, or Three Caves Café, located on Küütri Street.

In this painting, Espe depicts Roosi Street in Ülejõe. The street, covered in long shadows from the evening sun, is also traversed by citizens who are going about their business and in the background, it seems that there are even horse-drawn carriages. Espe emphasizes the cozy idyll of the scene with pastel tones and the softness of the brushstrokes.

Text: Katre Palm