Our Important South Estonia in Art

Southern Estonia has been an important source for the art history here during the 20th century. An amazing number of authors were born and raised there: let's name Konrad Mägi, Elmar Kits, Eduard Ole, Ants Murakin, Aleksander Vardi, Lepo Mikko, Juhan Püttsepp, Endel Kõks, Jaan Koort and others from this year's auction selection. Friedebert Tuglas – who, by the way, was also born in South Estonia – once said something like that pragmatists come from the north of Estonia, but lyricists come from the south. It is, of course, very difficult to make such a generalization, but South Estonia's mark on our art history is undeniable.

On the other hand, South Estonia is present in another sense: namely, it has been depicted a lot. Tartu was the city of study and home for many, but the domes of Võrumaa, the lakes of Viljandimaa and so on were always very interesting for authors.

Other Different Estonian Places

It is interesting to notice how some places were more painted than others in the older art of Estonia. It depended both on the origin of the artists and probably on the "picturesqueness" of the places, and at one point also on the tradition: if a certain place had started to be painted, others returned there as well. A good example is Johannes Võerahansu's painting trips to Saaremaa, where he continued the trips of Konrad Mägi that took place twenty years earlier. Richard Uutmaa painted on the north coast for the reason that it was his home region, Herman Talvik was in Viljandi for only one year – but he still painted. A geographical change can also be noticed: while before the Second World War the focus was very much on South Estonia, after the war places close to Tallinn also appeared on the canvases.

Again This Tallinn

Tallinn became a very painted city, especially after the Second World War, when artists moved here. At the same time, it is striking that when depicting Tallinn, they did not want to depict a modern, developing city, but focused mainly on the old town or instead on the slums. There is romance instead of dynamism, traditions instead of technology. This is one of the typical approaches of Estonian authors: they have always been interested in the past, mystery and romance rather than the future, pragmatism and modernity.

Always Our Harbour and Sea

One of the distinctive features of Estonian painting can perhaps be considered the abundance of harbor motifs. Countries without a sea border do not have such a history. At the same time, it is amazing that harbors were painted even when the seaside was closed to the public by the Soviet government and maritime traditions began to die quietly – then, in a sense, harbor painting also became a small resistance, a preservation of the past. At the same time, the seaside has always fascinated artists. This is the zone where the sea and the land meet – a little enigmatic, fascinating and mysterious.

Our Important Ants Laikmaa

The importance of Ants Laikmaa in the history of Estonian art was rare. On one hand, he influenced the first half of the 20th century with his organizations and especially with his teaching work. Many of the authors in the auction here attended his studio school: from Johannes Lustberg and Lembit Nõmmeotsa to Nikolai Kull. On the other hand, of course, his art was a big influence. Olev Subbi has said that Laikmaa was one of the most important pastel painters in Europe. Pastel became Laikmaa's technique, most of his works have been completed in this way. Their melting lines, soft colors and romantic energy were in harmony with Laikmaa's open and emotional nature. Laikmaa's portrait work was particularly striking, as he produced numerous psychologically accurate and profound portraits, but also his so-called travel pictures based on his travel impressions are today classics of Estonian art history.

Estonian Messages

During the 20th century, politics was not particularly in the orbit of interest of Estonian artists. Modern times are rarely commented on, historical events are painted rather reluctantly, no political opinions are taken. However, this does not mean that certain sentiments were not expressed. At the end of the 19th century, during the period of national awakening, the goal of many authors – by the way, above all Baltic Germans, but also, for example, Ants Laikmaa – was to give Estonians first of all a face. Bring it out of the darkness onto their canvas and say: this is how it is, here it is. Already then the goals increased, the mythology of Kalevipoja entered the history of art, which created and emphasized the common past and, through the past, the common future. Kalevipoeg was painted, but Estonia's independence was the thought behind it. In Soviet times, of course, political messages had to be carefully hidden, but it was still possible to do so from time to time, for example by depicting historical characters important from the point of view of our identity.

Sculpture – The Timeless Dialog of Koort and Viies

The author of the text: Pekka Erelt

Jaan Koort (1883-1935) and Edgar Viies (1931-2006) are two big names in Estonian sculpture of the 20th century. Koort is considered the most outstanding figure of the first generation of our modernism, while Viies is considered the brightest representative of post-war modernism. Both of them brought about a revolution in Estonian sculpture, Koort in the academic and Viies social realist forma that had prevailed until then. Both introduced new materials in Estonian sculpture, Koort basalt and granite, while Viies used aluminum and welded iron. Both also have an iconic sculpture in a public urban space – "Metskits" by Koort on Nunne street, "Merineid" by Viies next to Viru Center.

Koort and Viies were a bit outcast. Art historian Juta Kivimäe has aptly characterized Koorti as a man who could not fit on the stone. He was not invited to become a member of the Pallas Society, nor was he offered a teaching position at the Pallas Art School. Koort fought fiercely against the mental confinement here, but it was a fight against windmills. He fled to Australia in the spring of 1927 due to anxiety, but returned after only three months. "Art in Estonia is completely superfluous, therefore the artist is also a superfluous person," he said in September of 1930. By saying it directly, Koort had no hope of the goodwill of the money-distributors here. Between 1932 and 1934, he was not given scholarships and his works were not bought. In 1934, Koort left Estonia again, this time to Russia for the position of artistic director of the Gžel ceramics factory, where he died of pneumonia the very next year.

Viies did not want to fit on the stone either, the sculptor and his work could not be understood here. In 1969, Viiese was told directly to his face: "Your art does not belong here!" Seeing that he had no future in his homeland, the artist took an unprecedented step. At the beginning of December of the same year, he traveled to Moscow together with his wife and took a letter to the chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union, Aleksei Kossõgin. Viies wanted to leave the Soviet Union, which, of course, did not succeed and brought the artist a lot of trouble.

Koort despised academicism, which in his opinion was only worthy of ridicule. "The first step was to renounce the academic school, to give up on traditions, morality, altruism in art. Impressionism was everything, all life led to impression. I sought neither sentiment nor form; an impression, that was all. The second period was dynamics, form, I've got over that. I was looking for strength from the storm, from life, everything was the strength of life," Koort wrote about himself.

Neither social realism nor the traditions of Pallas worked for Viies. "The current trends have left me cold," Viies said in the summer of 2002. He was captivated by the age of technology, in his mind's eye he saw his metal sculptures several tens of meters high, surrounded by steel and glass buildings. "We are destined to live in the era of high speeds, traffic vehicles transformed into streamlines, winged machines. /---/ aluminum, as a more modern material, had to emphasize one of the features of the technology era."

It is symbolic that the monument of Jaan Koort in Kadriori Park was made by Edgar Viies. That's how two great masters met.

Our Everlasting Work

The representation of working has been one theme that unites pre- and post-war art. There have been various reasons for this. Farm work is especially often depicted, and on one hand, it could be justified personally: the artists were often born and raised in the countryside, for them, farm work was familiar. On the other hand, the reasons were also political: especially in the 1930s, but also in the 1940s, the authorities favored the depiction of a working person. Working is not seen as burdensome, but rather idyllic: the unity of man and nature is emphasized, the works are picturesque and airy, even when people are burning ale or locomotives are burning fuel.

A Little Touch of Winter in Art

Estonia has four seasons, but in painting we mainly encounter summer, to some extent also spring, but winter is largely forgotten. Since the core of Estonian painting is an interest in color, the white snow-covered landscape has probably not offered enough opportunities to work with color. At the same time, some artists find interesting challenges to work with in the silence of winter and the nuances of light reflecting from snow. Shadows falling on the snow, different light, winter solemnity – all this has fascinated authors, depicting not only the external form of winter, but also moods and atmosphere.

Our Own Kind of Landscape

Landscape depiction has undoubtedly been one of the most important axes of Estonian painting. In today's era, this kind of closeness to nature is particularly telling, especially since Estonian authors, as a rule, did not look at the landscape from a distance as a beautiful wallpaper, but perceived the inner rhythms and dynamics of nature and tried to convey them as an outsider. But if we talk about the landscape, and not nature in general, then we can see that the menu of motifs is quite extensive: river meanders, mountain ridges, lake views, views opening from the hill or from the end of the road. The depiction of landscapes has also carried the goal of expressing a sense of home, creating an image of "home" as something that is not so much connected to the city, but to the landscape.

Estonian Artists Working Abroad

In the first half of the 20th century, our artists worked a lot in foreign countries. It was not a choice of convenience: they often starved and were homeless, but were still elsewhere for months and years. The artists were fascinated by different landscapes and motifs, but there were many reasons for leaving: the desire to get in touch with European art history, to experience a different light, to expand their own thinking space, to do something that the previous generations who lived in the same place could never do, and so on. However, there were not many destinations at all. We didn't go all over the world, but mainly in Europe, and here again not all over the continent, but Italy, Spain, France, Norway were preferred. After the Second World War, different and semi-forced choices came: refugee authors worked in the countries where fate had thrown them.

In Search of Idyll And in The Moment

Estonian art history has been quite masculine before the Second World War, as most of the authors were men. At the same time, art has been very idyllic, seeking harmony, loving romance and sentimentality. The idyll was also seen in everyday motifs: work, a bouquet of flowers, a landscape flooded with sunlight, a flock of sheep, a perspective opening into the distance. At the same time, the paintings were muted, the colors awas rather modest, not to show off, but to admire. Such affection for the poetry of everyday life continued in the second half of the century.