Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Oil on canvas. 1973.
Bottom right: R. Uutmaa 1973.a. / R. Uutmaa Altja rand 1973.a.

On the northern coast of Altja village in Lahemaa National Park was the birthplace of Richard Uutmaa (1905-1977), more precisely the Kõrve farm, located half a kilometer from the sea, which remained with the artist’s sister-in-law after the war until it was sold in the late 1950s. Despite this, the artist loved the area very much, because it was his childhood playground, where he first heard the calling sound of the sea at his father’s fingertips.

Uutmaa, who loved to paint in the open air, had to finish more and more of his pieces in the studio in the last decade of his life but the view of his home village had already become a part of him, so sensitive views were born primarily from the memories stored in his heart and eyes. Uutmaa preferred to choose either warm summer afternoons or sunset for his paintings. It was then that the shadows on the beach grew particularly long and the natural light carried either sunny golden tones or deep oranges.

In many ways, he was inspired by his favorite artist: “The brilliance of Claude Monet’s colors has been a role model for me in many ways, and the impressionists’ sensitive depiction of atmosphere in general. In my opinion, the impressionists, with their approach to color, laid the foundation for us to call the 20th century the century of color in painting.” (M. Soosaar “Ateljee-etüüde”, Tallinn, 1983, p. 71).

The lazy afternoon moment captured in “Altja beach” is painted with emotion and depth. The fishermen’s huts reflected in the mirror-smooth seawater convey the complete calm prevailing in the scene, and the silky smooth, even beach sand inspires a similar peace. Characteristic of Uutmaa’s coastal landscapes, he also leaves their homes visible out of respect for the local inhabitants, as if as a sign of their harmonious participation in this summer idyll depicting seaside life.

Text: Katre Palm