Tallinn Trip – Kadriorg Art Museum (Apples on a Rug by Villem Ormisson)

Here’s Julian the art critic once again…

I don’t really understand artworks like this, although it’s from 1927 and is something of its time. However, I asked Google AI what it thought of the painting and it had quite a lot to say about it.

• The Cloth: A cascading Morning Glory vine, symbolising affection and the ephemeral nature of beauty, entwines with bold Sunflowers, representing adoration and longevity. These blossoms dance against a backdrop of Pink Roses, whispering gratitude and grace.
• The Apples: Scattered like fallen fruit, Yellow Apples convey success and good health, while hints of Green Apples symbolize new beginnings and harmony.
• The Pitcher: A vessel of purity, the White Pitcher echoes the innocence of Lily of the Valley, promising a return to happiness.

The artwork’s overall message is one of hopeful abundance, with a touch of melancholy for the fleeting nature of beauty. It’s a reminder to cherish the present moment, like a bouquet that blooms only briefly.

I’m not sure there’s much hopeful abundance here, it’s some apples on a rug and that’s the name of the artwork. Google AI really has been outstretching itself here to come up with terminology and thoughts such as this and the technology behind it is fascinating to me. The arguments it’s making are coherent and sophisticated, although have little resemblance to reality.

The artwork is by Villem Ormisson (1892-1941) and I wanted to mention him as he committed suicide in 1941 as he was so distraught about the Second World War. The Soviets hated him and posthumous exhibitions of his works were banned following the Second World War, he was seen as a dissident. Much as still life artworks don’t do much for me, it shows how much the Soviets hated anything vaguely artistic as it hardly seems revolutionary…..