Ilmar Linnat

The education of Ilmar Linnat became diverse due to the circumstances: “Pallas” in the 1930ies, in the 1940ies Higher Courses of Figurative Arts and also Taru State Art Institute, which actually was the former “Pallas”. At the beginning of the 1950ies Linnat took up work as a lecturer and directly before finishing “Rand” he was elected an acting professor in the Estonian State Institute of Arts. According to the evaluation of Lehti Viiroja the most fruitful creative period of Linnat should be considered the 1960ies, the creation of which was “renewing Estonian graphical art”. The artist works then mainly still with drawings, using mostly coal, coloured chalk and pastels. He does use traditional choice of motifs, but the form language is already something new.
Saaremaa has lured the artist already during the complicated 1940ies, when he stayed on the island while being sent by the Estonian National Museum to draw up farm buildings. This attachment towards classical architecture is also reflected here, but only as a sign. Linnat has not started to draw out in detailed manner constructional specialities, but forwards with a couple of simple line the scanty and harsh outer look of Saaremaa farmhouses. He has brought to the foreground of the picture fishnets, giving this way us a sign of the core of his interests: man and his life together with the forces of nature.