Tõnis Saadoja’s approach to painting often leans on tradition, albeit indirectly. Reflecting on his student years, Saadoja has described his generation as cynical, largely uninterested in the history that preceded them. Yet his works repeatedly reveal traces of art history. Sometimes this is evident in the subject matter (such as the influence of Gerhard Richter’s portraits), sometimes in the genre (like his revival of the long-forgotten ceiling-painting format). At other times, it appears in his choice of medium (for example, the unexpected re-emergence of the somewhat antiquated watercolour technique) or through direct citation (copying or drawing inspiration from the works of Eugen Dücker and Paul Raud, as well as painting “better” versions of his own works from his student days). Increasingly, it emerges in his general painterly style.

In his recent series, Saadoja paints with the precision of an old master, reaching back to a time before the 20th century, when technical virtuosity was often central to the definition of a painting. This was also a time when painters did not yet wrestle with inner turmoil – their purpose seemed almost divinely assured. It is as if Saadoja’s works pose the simple yet poignant question: Why is it that what was once possible no longer is?

The ever-growing technical brilliance of his paintings – particularly striking in the modelling of spatial depth – is so meticulous that it transcends mere nostalgia for the past and becomes a contemporary inquiry: Why paintings? However, this question remains unresolved in Saadoja’s work. Unlike it was for the dominant 19th-century cults of either story or form, neither alone is sufficient to unlock the meaning of his exhibitions.

Throughout, Saadoja’s characteristic melancholy and sadness resonate, entering the canvas through his treatment of time. It is also worth noting that his art does not idealise perfection. Technical virtuosity is merely a means, not an end – a means to reveal the conceptual voids that lurk within any notion of perfection.

In an age where the ever-expanding universe of images relentlessly celebrates perpetual dawn and seeks to smooth over every flaw in our pictures, memories and spaces, it is vital to remember that someone still values the fragility of imperfection – by painting it perfectly. For the moment when Tõnis Saadoja’s brush touches the blank canvas is also a moment when everything we have briefly becomes precious.