Johannes Võerahansu 1902–1980 The Nurse. 1940

A magnificent painting in the oeuvre of Johannes Võerahansu, in which he paints a portrait that characterises the era, standing on the border of the ages. In the 1930s, the Estonian press began to write a lot about nurses, and with the outbreak of the war the demand for them grew even more. In times of disaster, however, the nurse was not only a member of the medical staff, but a symbol of compassion and relief more generally. 
Võerahansu has painted the nurse with particular sensitivity. A nurse, with a bright spirit and an independent attitude, is placed on a soft cushion, but she exudes a sense of action. When you think that a person with this attitude was painted in 1940, the painting becomes a symbol of determination. Võerahansu also uses a more realistic painting style than before, while his use of colour (especially in the background) shows the influence of the Pallas school of painting.