Lilacs

Painting lilacs had a long tradition in pre-World War II Estonian art: lilacs were painted, among others, by Konrad Mägi, Adamson-Eric, Andrei Yegorov, Paul Raud, Paul Burman, Lydia Mei, Jaan Koort, Gustav Mootse et al., who all knew lilacs from their childhood, because they had been introduced to Estonian country gardens in the middle of the 19^th century. On the other hand, the artists have all painted lilacs not in their natural place of growth but rather as bouquets in an interior. Lilacs must have fascinated them with their lushness and unusual range of colour (shades of violet and white).

Kristjan Teder often painted lilacs and he also seems to have been fascinated by the luxurious form of the lilacs which symbolises vitality among other things. In this picture Teder has balanced the lusciousness of the lilacs with the more rigidly geometrical tablecloth, curtain and the background. The tablecloth in particular adds tones and nuances to the colours of the lilacs, thus establishing colour at the core of the issues that the painting deals with.