Metaphysical Landscapes in 1970s Estonian Graphics
Location: 4th floor, Cabinet of Prints and Drawings
The aim of the exhibition is to highlight metaphysical landscape views as a distinct phenomenon in Estonian graphic art of the 1970s–1980s. The metaphysical effect arises through an (inhumanly) empty pictorial space, cleansed of superfluous details and activity, which creates a special psychological impact and appears strange and suggestive. The abundance of landscape views in the art of this period was caused by a growing interest in environmental themes during the 1970s, which was made possible on a new level by the concurrent rise of hyperrealism (e.g., Edward Hopper). In addition, a significant role was played by engagement with historical artistic heritage (such as Giorgio de Chirico’s metaphysical cityscapes) and its multi-layered interpretations.
The exhibited works are by artists who all belong, in essence, to the same generation of innovators (all the artists featured in the exhibition were born either in 1942 or 1945). Mare Vint and Kaisa Puustak were associated with the ANK’64 group. Alongside their distinctly aesthetic, stylistically pure, and consistently evolving works, the pieces by Urmas Ploomipuu and Illimar Paul are more heterogeneous and, through varied themes and approaches, more experimental. The selected compositions by Ploomipuu and Puustak are stricter and more sober in tone, while Vint’s works are deliberately stylized, poetic, and symbolist. Paul’s works fall between these two poles, combining a photography-like objectivity with a poetic vision.
All the works displayed in the exhibition share a strong degree of generalization: the objects in the images are no longer specific things (buildings, trees), but rather act as visual signs that represent things and phenomena (architecture, nature) as such. The varying levels of stylization transform the depicted objects into perfect signs. Mare Vint’s and Illimar Paul’s more symbolic compositions interestingly align with the photo-realistic works of Urmas Ploomipuu and Kaisa Puustak, whose “objectivity” is nonetheless subtly distorted. These visionary landscapes are captivating and suggestive in their timelessness; their unreality resembles magical realism.
The goal of the Kumu Graphics Cabinet is to present the Art Museum of Estonia’s graphic art collection through small rotating exhibitions a few times a year. The small-scale format of these exhibitions allows for a clear focus on defined problems, conceptualizing the work, themes, and phenomena of historically significant artists through a more narrowly framed approach.
Curator: Elnara Taidre
We thank:
Mare Vint
