Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Watercolor on paper. 1920s.
Signature: LIIVAK

“The blue air above the sea
carries its deep beauty like a hidden treasure –
the intoxicating fog
in the hiding places of sailing ships“

Excerpt from a poem by Indrek Hirv

Already in the 1920s, the delicate and decorative watercolor technique of the later graphic artist Paul Liivak (1900-1942) developed. His favorite subjects were coastal villages and old farm buildings, which Liivak painted again and again in the late Art Nouveau national romantic style, captivating the viewer with the subtlety and romanticism of the images.

This large painting offers a spacious perspective of the water surface opening up before the viewer. The blue treetops and green-blue roofs of houses are surprisingly impressive. There are no shadows on the trees, stones or houses and yet they are in a perfectly harmonious relationship with each other in terms of color and form. As the icing on the cake, a sailing ship and a steamship moving in the background join this ancient idyll.

Text: Harry Liivrand