Ellen-Aliide Ventsel 1907–1995 In Bloom. 1930

Ellen-Aliide Ventsel was a versatile talent, working as an artist, poet (under the name Muia Veetamme), and actress (under the name Elts Ristimägi). Her life was not easy—her childhood was marked by financial difficulties, spent in a cramped basement apartment in a small town; she attended school for only a few years, and her husband moved abroad. Against this backdrop, it is striking how harmonious and optimistic her landscape painting is. Bright, sweet colors, a decorative overall impression, and the effect of shadows adding mystery give the work a dreamlike quality. Nature is lush, yet Ventsel amplifies this further, filling the canvas with flowers and blooming plants.