Abstract paintings by Tiit Jaanson.

The structure of every literary work, essay and conversation foresees that one should start from the beginning or the introduction. It is often so that the first impression, which is created in the introduction, determines also the further acceptance and in the course of the future conversation we can already concentrate on the expressed ideas, not getting to know something. In case of Tiit Jaanson’s exhibition naturally the introduction is the exhibiton title “Maastikud” (”Landscapes”). In this case it is the beginning of our conversation, which also determines the ways, how it would be possible to view the whole exhibition.

”Landscapes” is actually quite widely used, even a routine title, the anonymity and the repeated use of which does not make at the first glance Jaanson’s exhibition different from many others, bearing the same title. This is the beginning, which determines our first expectation horizon: we hope to see the languid slopes of Otepää, a glance, slipping into the distance, green shades on hills and brown ones in the valleys. Strange, but we can see all  the beforementioned here.

”Landscapes” quickly direct us to the key, which opens Jaanson’s works. There exists actually a considerable number of artists, who have given up copying of the visible world and have absorbed into the phenomenon, which here and there is regarded as the separate value of the art of painting: the colour. This is something, wich painting is jealously keeping to itself. Usually in art history such direction is called abstract – this is the direction, which does not depict anything, which does not bring in front of our eyes the recognizable objects, which we could interpret back into the reality. This is the first understanding of the abstarct art, and above could have been detected the first understanding of a landscape painting. Two totally, maybe even radically different directions, isn’t it so? And now let’s take a glance at Jaanson’s works.

The main character of this exhibition is really abstract, but forms and shades, which are created by Jaanson in his works move further. Exactly speaking: they move behind the painting itself. Jaanson does not limit himself by setting colours next to each other, by just placing alongside picturesque separate values themselves. He is interested, what one or another colour is hiding behind itself. Let’s pay attention: Jaanson is not satisfied with simple answers anymore, of colour psychology, according to which red next to black creates one type of sensations, yellow in the middle of green others. Please. This all is too simple.

Jaanson’s key is the ability to see stories in colours. The ability to add objects to colours, which actually help to tell a story without leaving the impression of being joint structures. Naturally these are not stories with an ordinary logical structure, but rather narratives, which must be born at the back of one’s kead. One does not have to make efforts in order to understand them, as they are our own stories. We can see here, what we want. The introduction has been made.