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EESTI ELU reedel, 18. märtsil 2022 — Friday, March 18, 2022
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On the Wall: Extracting a dialogue from Toomas VinkLainas’ abstract art Vincent Teetsov It’s tempting, soon after first setting eyes on a work of art, to ask “what is it?” For prac tical purposes, we train our eyes to make associations from an early age, like when we sprawl out on the grass to look at the shapes of clouds in the sky. If an artist has decided to be representational, an association is made, followed by an evaluation of whether we enjoy how they have represented a being, place, or object. However, when a work of art, either completed in a loose style or in total abstraction, does not register with viewers’ eyes, how do we talk about it? Let’s not get lost in the tired debate of what art is or isn’t, but rather, determine how we have a real dialogue about what we see. There won’t always be a manifesto to give us clear hints. For example, the Painters Eleven, Toronto’s first group of abstract expressionist artists, said at their founding, “There is no manifesto here for the times, there is no jury but time. By now there is little harmony in the noticeable disagreement, but there is profound regard for the consequences of our complete
freedom.” If there’s no philo sophy to work with, the meaning is another layer deeper. How cultures perceive the principles of design and colour are one clue: a painting with pastel colours is content and unburdened, reds call for attention, and an abundance of blue is dreamy and free. Erratic, scratchy lines indicate agitation, straight lines indicate focus. Watch, then, for the deliberate use or neglect of design prin ciples like symmetry, repetition, blank space, and contrast. It will show us what we are supposed to notice. Alternatively, there’s nothing stopping viewers from ignoring the non-representational intent of an abstract artwork and looking for recognizable beings, places, and objects. To do this is like using art as a Rorschach test that explains the inner workings of our minds. Consider Estonian-American painter Toomas Vink-Lainas’ paintings and drawings, several of which are part of the Toronto Estonian Virtual Art Gallery (TEVAG) collection operated by Jaak Järve and Mai Vomm Järve. Looking at what’s listed as Vink 7 (painted in acrylic in a wide rectangular orientation)
Call Russia: If you’re a Russian speaker this could be the most important phone call you ever make Euronews, March, 2022 A group of Lithuanians have come together to launch a project calling for the Russian diaspora across the world to pick up the phone and call Russia. The aim is to get Russians to communicate with each other more, wherever they are, in an effort to stop the war in Ukraine. “I think the only people who can stop this war are Russian citizens,” says Paulius Senuta, one of the organisers. A website has been launched. Call Russia wants fluent Russian speakers from across the world to call Russians in Russia. Clicking the ‘Call Russia Now’ button on their website generates one of 40 million phone numbers from across the country. According to Paulius, in the first two days of operation they had around 32,000 calls. The response is mixed – some don’t pick up, some hang up and some are willing to chat, they say. However, callers are invited to give feedback on their call and Paulius says so far around 50 per cent of calls are reported to have gone well. All news outlets in Russia are now state controlled. In the Russian press, this is not a war. Although some people do know
what is going on, many people still believe it’s a “special operation” where there have been a few casualties but overall the Russian influence is a positive one, saving Ukrainians and bringing them aid. Paulius emphasised that it was important for people to only call in Russian as not all Russians speak English – also English can be seen as the language of the aggressor and the call is unlikely to go as well. According to Paulius, there’s between 30-40 million Russians living outside Russia and so if everyone made one call, that’s enough. “I think everyone can do that,” he says. The aim of the call isn’t to completely change a person’s worldview. “That’s unachievable in a call,” he explains. However, the organisation has worked with psychologists to provide advice on their website about how best to go about your call. “Ask them about how much they know about what is happening in Ukraine, to which they will answer that they know,” he says. “And then you share what you see in hundreds of pictures, videos, your conversations with people on what is going on. [...] You can’t fake everything on such a scale, so it
Photo: tevag.ca
our eyes are guided from right to left. White outlined details and swift black lines all blow away from a warm orange glow on the right side of the painting. Blotches of red appear along the way to the washed out left side of the painting. To speculate about its meaning, think about what phenomena a loss of colour might stand for. The loss of heat and vegetation from autumn to winter; exchanging safety for vulnerability. Think representationally, and you’ll notice the structure of Earth from the inner core, where the paint is blended tenderly on the canvas, to the crust, or the diminishing number of lights of a city from downtown to the outskirts. All of this is sensed from a
shift in colour. As pioneering abstract painter Wassily Kan dinsky (who, in 1896, almost became professor of juris prudence at the University of Dorpat in Estonia) said “Colour is a power which directly in fluences the soul. Colour is the keyboard, the eyes are the hammers, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand which plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul.” More shape and perspective-oriented is Vink-Lainas’ mixed media drawing Vink 20 (24 x 18 inches). The most noticeable details here are the downward and upward pyramidal shapes at the centre of the drawing and the grid in between, drawn with thin strokes.
All of the thin lines in this piece chaotically float around the prominent shapes in the centre. However, Vink-Lainas, having worked his whole career as a graphic artist, deftly placed the thin grid at just the right angle, so that all of the chaotic lines appear to originate from this grid. It’s as though we’re looking at objects falling into an abyss down a metal storm drain. The next time you go to a gallery and appraise an abstract artwork, step back, then stand closer, consider the techniques used, how it interacts with your eyes and thoughts, and ponder what the artist is telling you. Whether we love or loathe a work of art, it’s worth being able to understand its purpose.
Riigikogu passes communication calling for no-fly zone over Ukraine
the state of Ukraine in their fight against the Russian Federation, which has launched a criminal war, and calls on showing absolute support to Ukraine in its war for maintain ing its freedom, sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Riigikogu underlines that the Russian Federation’s unprovoked aggression and military activities constitute a crime against peace with no statute of limitations, and that all war crimes that have been committed will have to be punished. The Riigikogu asks the UN member states to take imme diate steps to establish a no-fly zone in order to prevent massive civilian casualties in Ukraine. The Riigikogu urges all national parliaments to adopt statements that call on their governments to support the imposition of additional sanc tions against the Russian Federation, as well as the Republic of Belarus, which participates in the aggression. The Riigikogu calls for the immediate imposition of a com prehensive trade embargo on the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, which would restrict the capability of the aggressor states to wage war. The Riigikogu calls on states to close their airspace and ports to the aircraft and ships of the Russian Federation. The Riigikogu calls on the members of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe to vote for excluding the Russian Federation from the membership of the Council of Europe, and calls on the mem ber states to adopt a relevant decision immediately. The Riigikogu invites the member states to support Ukraine’s official application for the status of a EU candidate state and calls on granting Ukraine a roadmap to member ship in NATO. Ukraine’s president, Volody myr Zelenskyy, has reiterated calls for a NATO no-fly zone over non-NATO member Ukraine, arguing that it would protect NATO member states themselves as well as Ukrai nians. So far, the U.S. and other NATO allies have declined to set up a no-fly zone, mainly in the interests of not escalating the current conflict further and bearing in mind Russia is a nuclear power. A no-fly zone would require being enforced by NATO and would include preparedness to shoot down any aircraft violating the zone. This would be the case even with limited no-fly zones cordoning off humanitarian corridors between Ukraine’s western border with the EU and its major cities.
ERR, March 2022 The Riigikogu has issued an appeal to legislatures in European Union and NATO member states for the imposi tion of a no-fly zone over Ukraine, in response to Russia’s war on that country, now in its third week. The Riigikogu also invites EU member states to support Ukraine’s official application EU candidate state status, and calls for a road-map for Ukraine’s NATO membership as well. Signed by Riigikogu speaker Jüri Ratas (Center), the parliament’s address passed a vote at the 101-seat chamber on Monday, with 90 MPs in favor. The Riigikogu calls for the no-fly zone to avoid further mass civilian casualties in Ukraine, and also requests states close their ports and airspace to Russian flights and vessels. The English text of the Riigikogu communication is as follows: The Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) expresses its support to the defenders and the people of must be true.” “Most people agree that dying people is not good.”
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