Tiit Pääsuke

Artist's country of origin: Estonia

Tiit Pääsuke (born 1941 in Põltsamaa), one of the leading figures in Estonian art of painting, started studying art at Tartu Art School and continued his studies at the State Art Institute, graduating in 1971. In 2011 Pääsuke ended his teaching career of 35 years at the Estonian Academy of Arts and became a freelance artist. Pääsuke has won many essential awards and prizes, amongst others the Konard Mägi award in 1992 and the Order of the White Star, 4th Class, in 1999. His works can be found in many art collections both in Estonia and abroad.

Tiit Pääsuke emerged in the 1970s with his paintings of sometimes photographic accuracy and an existential air about them. Through the decades, Pääsuke has been a stubborn creator, who was not interested in current trends or the frame of mind of the art circles. He has always followed his own path. Pääsuke has also been titled as the greatest colourist in the history of our art of painting. His paintings are rich and saturated with colour. He can model with colour – he creates form through colour. Colours bear different meanings for the eye: brighter colours seem salient and darker ones recessive. Thus the artist doesn’t have to apply the traditional modelling of light and shade with the same colour being darker in the shadow. Pääsuke can depict sections of his painting more or less realistically with only an abstract play of colours – especially so in his latest creations.

Sources used: Evald Okas Museum