Eduard Ole
Encyclopedia
Eduard Ole was an Estonian painter. Some of his most representative works are on permanent exhibition at Kumu Kunstimuuseum in Tallinn
.
In 1973 Ole published in Sweden
his two-volume illustrated memories Suurel maanteel (On the Big Highway) I and II. A new edition of these books were published in Estonia in 2010.
and Moscow
. He studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts
in St. Petersburg, Russia
between 1914 and 1918, where he became particularly influenced by German Expressionism
.
Ole returned to Estonia in 1918, when his country became independent, and worked as a theatre designer, teacher of drawing, art critic and as of 1923, as a professional artist. That year, together with Friedrich Hist (1900–1941) and Felix Randel (1901–1977, named Johansen until 1936) he formed in Tartu
the Group of Estonian Artists. This group was able to organize a whole series of exhibitions dedicated to Cubism
experimentation, although Ole himself never became totally non-figurative, retaining a strong link with the material world. Their work was primarily distinguished by modest geometricized abstraction and decorative colourism suggested by Synthetic Cubism, rather than by explorations of simultaneity or collage. A good example of this phase is the work Natüürmort kitarriga (Still life with guitar) of 1925.
Ole's cubist period lasted only until 1926. That year he began to draw with India ink
. Some examples of this phase are the works Rannal (Beach) of 1926, Jalgpallurid (Football players) of between 1926 and 1927, Seltskond (Company) and
Fokstrott (Foxtrot) both of 1927.
at the Salon des Artistes Indépendants organized by the Société des Artistes Indépendants
, to which followed a study trip to Paris in 1927, a trip that gave him fresh impulses. During this trip Ole painted motives inspired in the city such as Pariisi motiiv (Parisian motif), Pariis, Eiffeli torn (Paris, Eiffel Tower), and Pariis (Paris).
As a consequence to Ole's first study trip to Paris, the cubist severity of form vanished and he preferred to depict large figurative compositions, dramatically staged, with soft planes and colours and nuanced pastel tones. It was during this time (1929) that Reisijad (Travellers) and Hobuseujutajad. Pannoo kavand (The Horse Swimmers. Mural Design) were composed. Along these, with the watercolours in soft tones that Ole brought from Paris, he also made colourful gouaches of Estonian landscapes, such as Lõuna-Eesti maastik (South Estonian Landscape) of 1932-1933.
In the beginning of the 1930s Ole started painting portraits of Estonian cultural personalities of international standing. The series started with Dirigent Simmi portree (Portrait of Maestro Simm) in 1931 depicting the composer Juhan Simm
, which won the first prize of a national portrait contest. Others followed such as H. Visnapuu portree (Portrait of H. Visnapuu) depicting the poet Henrik Visnapuu
and Kirjanik August Gailiti portree (Portrait of Writer August Gailit) depicting the writer August Gailit
in 1932, Fr. Tuglase portree (Portrait of Fr. Tuglas) of between 1935 and 1942 depicting the writer Friedebert Tuglas
, and Konstantin Pätsi portree (Portrait of Konstantin Päts) of 1936 depicting Konstantin Päts
, the first President of Estonia
.
In 1937 Ole made a second study trip to Paris and after the trip he continued to paint landscapes, though it can be noticed, entwined with pastel colours, an increasing dramaticity, as if sensing the new challenges that would face him in the near future. In 1941 Ole painted Narva Hermani kindlus (Hermann Fortress
in Narva
), a symbol of resistance against invasions. The 1942 paintings Maastik rahutu taevaga (Landscape in Turbulent Sky) and Maastik tuulikuga (Landscape with Windmill) seem to close this phase of his work.
As a consequence to the German occupation of Estonia during World War II (1941–1944) and fleeing the Soviet
occupation of Estonia (1944), Ole left as a refugee to Finland
in 1943, where he continued to paint portraits of personalities of Finnish cultural life, such as the ones of the linguist Lauri Kettunen and of Viljo Tarkiainen, biographer of Aleksis Kivi
, and landscapes. His wife Helmi stayed in Estonia.
However, most probably also fleeing the Continuation War
between Finland and the Soviet Union
, in 1944 Ole moved to neutral Sweden
and became a Swedish citizen in 1951. He was able to visit Estonia once again only in 1990, shortly before the restoration of Estonian independence.
In Sweden Ole started working as illustrator for the Nordic Museum
in Stockholm
, taking part in a project to catalogue cultural monuments of Sweden, as well as some works of scientific nature. However, as he settled down and particularly after travelling to Lapland
and northern Norway
his style began to radically change. During those trips Ole's sensibility experienced a new type of light, powerful natural forms, contrasts of colour and structure, of rocks and water found on fjord
s. In fact, his next creative period is entirely centered in North Scandinavian landscape. Ole left his earlier calm and transcending planes of restrained colours to scintillating, vibrating, and dramatic compositions. Post-impressionist
Pointillism
became strong although never dominant.
Ole's style evolution can be clearly noticed in his 1948 paintings Motiiv Stockholmi saarestikust I (Motif from Stockholm Islands I), Motiiv Stockholmi saarestikust II (Motif from Stockholm Islands II), and Kodusadamasse saabumine (Arrival at the Home Port). Further evolution with loss of clear contours and increasing vibrant colours is clear in the 1952 Teekond Jotunheimi mägedesse (Journey to the Jotunheimen Mountains
) and 1966 Maastik Lofootidelt (Lofoten
Landscape). Such works, particularly their expressionist dynamism of colour, have a definite influence of other nordic artists, such as Edvard Munch
, Ernst Josephson
, and Akseli Gallen-Kallela
.
During the late 1960s and early 1970s Ole's style underwent a new and unexpected metamorphosis, returning to a cubist simplification of forms and gentle planes and motives, moving from landscape painting towards figurative compositions. These figures, almost naturalistic but simplified in a classical manner, attain a synthesis of Cubism-Naïvism. The result of this last change can be noticed on Ole's self-portrait of 1979 Autoportree, on the 1988 Motiiv Stockholmist (Motif from Stockholm), and on the 1991 Uue pesa ehitamine. Eskiis (Construction of a New Nest. Sketch).
In 1981 Ole was granted the Culture Award of Estonians in Sweden.
Ole was buried at the Forest Cemetery in Tallinn.
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
.
In 1973 Ole published in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
his two-volume illustrated memories Suurel maanteel (On the Big Highway) I and II. A new edition of these books were published in Estonia in 2010.
Expressionism, Cubism
Ole was the seventh child in a farmer's family with eight children. Very young, Ole came in contact with modern western art by means of reproductions in the art school library and by visiting galleries and museums in Saint PetersburgSaint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
and Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. He studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts
Imperial Academy of Arts
The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, was founded in 1757 by Ivan Shuvalov under the name Academy of the Three Noblest Arts. Catherine the Great renamed it the Imperial Academy of Arts and commissioned a new building, completed 25 years later in 1789...
in St. Petersburg, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
between 1914 and 1918, where he became particularly influenced by German Expressionism
Expressionism
Expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas...
.
Ole returned to Estonia in 1918, when his country became independent, and worked as a theatre designer, teacher of drawing, art critic and as of 1923, as a professional artist. That year, together with Friedrich Hist (1900–1941) and Felix Randel (1901–1977, named Johansen until 1936) he formed in Tartu
Tartu
Tartu is the second largest city of Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned university. Situated 186 km southeast of Tallinn, the...
the Group of Estonian Artists. This group was able to organize a whole series of exhibitions dedicated to Cubism
Cubism
Cubism was a 20th century avant-garde art movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture...
experimentation, although Ole himself never became totally non-figurative, retaining a strong link with the material world. Their work was primarily distinguished by modest geometricized abstraction and decorative colourism suggested by Synthetic Cubism, rather than by explorations of simultaneity or collage. A good example of this phase is the work Natüürmort kitarriga (Still life with guitar) of 1925.
Ole's cubist period lasted only until 1926. That year he began to draw with India ink
India ink
India ink is a simple black ink once widely used for writing and printing and now more commonly used for drawing, especially when inking comic books and comic strips.-Composition:...
. Some examples of this phase are the works Rannal (Beach) of 1926, Jalgpallurid (Football players) of between 1926 and 1927, Seltskond (Company) and
Fokstrott (Foxtrot) both of 1927.
Trips to Paris and Portraits
In 1925 Ole had his works exhibited in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
at the Salon des Artistes Indépendants organized by the Société des Artistes Indépendants
Société des Artistes Indépendants
—The Société des Artistes Indépendants formed in Paris in summer 1884 choosing the device "No jury nor awards" . Albert Dubois-Pillet, Odilon Redon, Georges Seurat and Paul Signac were among its founders...
, to which followed a study trip to Paris in 1927, a trip that gave him fresh impulses. During this trip Ole painted motives inspired in the city such as Pariisi motiiv (Parisian motif), Pariis, Eiffeli torn (Paris, Eiffel Tower), and Pariis (Paris).
As a consequence to Ole's first study trip to Paris, the cubist severity of form vanished and he preferred to depict large figurative compositions, dramatically staged, with soft planes and colours and nuanced pastel tones. It was during this time (1929) that Reisijad (Travellers) and Hobuseujutajad. Pannoo kavand (The Horse Swimmers. Mural Design) were composed. Along these, with the watercolours in soft tones that Ole brought from Paris, he also made colourful gouaches of Estonian landscapes, such as Lõuna-Eesti maastik (South Estonian Landscape) of 1932-1933.
In the beginning of the 1930s Ole started painting portraits of Estonian cultural personalities of international standing. The series started with Dirigent Simmi portree (Portrait of Maestro Simm) in 1931 depicting the composer Juhan Simm
Juhan Simm
Juhan Simm was an Estonian composer....
, which won the first prize of a national portrait contest. Others followed such as H. Visnapuu portree (Portrait of H. Visnapuu) depicting the poet Henrik Visnapuu
Henrik Visnapuu
Henrik Visnapuu was a well known Estonian poet and dramatist.-Life:Henrik Visnapuu first attended the village school in Reola and college in Sipe and the municipal school in Tartu...
and Kirjanik August Gailiti portree (Portrait of Writer August Gailit) depicting the writer August Gailit
August Gailit
August Gailit was an Estonian writer. -Life:Georg August Gailit was born in Sangaste Parish, Valgamaa, Estonia, the son of a carpenter and grew up on a farm in Laatre . From 1899 he attended schools in the parish and the town of Valga from 1905, then from 1907 a municipal school in Tartu...
in 1932, Fr. Tuglase portree (Portrait of Fr. Tuglas) of between 1935 and 1942 depicting the writer Friedebert Tuglas
Friedebert Tuglas
Friedebert Tuglas was an Estonian writer and critic who introduced Impressionism and Symbolism to Estonian literature. Persecuted under the czar, he became an acknowledged representative of Estonian literature in the Soviet era.-Biography:The son of a carpenter, Tuglas studied at the Hugo Treffner...
, and Konstantin Pätsi portree (Portrait of Konstantin Päts) of 1936 depicting Konstantin Päts
Konstantin Päts
Konstantin Päts VR I/1 and III/1 was the most influential politician of interwar Estonia. He was one of the first Estonians to become active in politics and started an almost 40-year political rivalry with Jaan Tõnisson, first through journalism with his newspaper Teataja, later through politics...
, the first President of Estonia
President of Estonia
The President of the Republic is the head of state of the Republic of Estonia.Estonia is a parliamentary republic, therefore President is mainly a symbolic figure and holds no executive power. The President has to suspend his membership in any political party for his term in office...
.
In 1937 Ole made a second study trip to Paris and after the trip he continued to paint landscapes, though it can be noticed, entwined with pastel colours, an increasing dramaticity, as if sensing the new challenges that would face him in the near future. In 1941 Ole painted Narva Hermani kindlus (Hermann Fortress
Hermann Castle
Hermann Castle is a castle in Narva, eastern Estonia. It was founded in 1256 by the Danes and the first stone castle was built in the beginning of the 14th century...
in Narva
Narva
Narva is the third largest city in Estonia. It is located at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, by the Russian border, on the Narva River which drains Lake Peipus.-Early history:...
), a symbol of resistance against invasions. The 1942 paintings Maastik rahutu taevaga (Landscape in Turbulent Sky) and Maastik tuulikuga (Landscape with Windmill) seem to close this phase of his work.
North Scandinavian Landscapes
In 1939 Ole married the filologist Helmi Metsvahiga.As a consequence to the German occupation of Estonia during World War II (1941–1944) and fleeing the Soviet
Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic
The Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic , often abbreviated as Estonian SSR or ESSR, was a republic of the Soviet Union, administered by and subordinated to the Government of the Soviet Union...
occupation of Estonia (1944), Ole left as a refugee to Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
in 1943, where he continued to paint portraits of personalities of Finnish cultural life, such as the ones of the linguist Lauri Kettunen and of Viljo Tarkiainen, biographer of Aleksis Kivi
Aleksis Kivi
Aleksis Kivi , born Alexis Stenvall, was a Finnish author who wrote the first significant novel in the Finnish language, Seven Brothers...
, and landscapes. His wife Helmi stayed in Estonia.
However, most probably also fleeing the Continuation War
Continuation War
The Continuation War was the second of two wars fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II.At the time of the war, the Finnish side used the name to make clear its perceived relationship to the preceding Winter War...
between Finland and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, in 1944 Ole moved to neutral Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and became a Swedish citizen in 1951. He was able to visit Estonia once again only in 1990, shortly before the restoration of Estonian independence.
In Sweden Ole started working as illustrator for the Nordic Museum
Nordic Museum
The Nordic Museum is a museum located on Djurgården, an island in central Stockholm, Sweden, dedicated to the cultural history and ethnography of Sweden from the Early Modern age until the contemporary period...
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, taking part in a project to catalogue cultural monuments of Sweden, as well as some works of scientific nature. However, as he settled down and particularly after travelling to Lapland
Lapland (region)
Lapland is a region in northern Fennoscandia, largely within the Arctic Circle. It streches across Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola Peninsula . On the North it is bounded by the Barents Sea, on the West by the Norwegian Sea and on the East by the White Sea...
and northern Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
his style began to radically change. During those trips Ole's sensibility experienced a new type of light, powerful natural forms, contrasts of colour and structure, of rocks and water found on fjord
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
s. In fact, his next creative period is entirely centered in North Scandinavian landscape. Ole left his earlier calm and transcending planes of restrained colours to scintillating, vibrating, and dramatic compositions. Post-impressionist
Post-Impressionism
Post-Impressionism is the term coined by the British artist and art critic Roger Fry in 1910 to describe the development of French art since Manet. Fry used the term when he organized the 1910 exhibition Manet and Post-Impressionism...
Pointillism
Pointillism
Pointillism is a technique of painting in which small, distinct dots of pure color are applied in patterns to form an image. Georges Seurat developed the technique in 1886, branching from Impressionism. The term Pointillism was first coined by art critics in the late 1880s to ridicule the works...
became strong although never dominant.
Ole's style evolution can be clearly noticed in his 1948 paintings Motiiv Stockholmi saarestikust I (Motif from Stockholm Islands I), Motiiv Stockholmi saarestikust II (Motif from Stockholm Islands II), and Kodusadamasse saabumine (Arrival at the Home Port). Further evolution with loss of clear contours and increasing vibrant colours is clear in the 1952 Teekond Jotunheimi mägedesse (Journey to the Jotunheimen Mountains
Jotunheimen
Jotunheimen is a mountainous area of roughly 3,500 km² in Southern Norway and is part of the long range known as the Scandinavian Mountains. The 29 highest mountains in Norway are all in Jotunheimen, including the very highest - Galdhøpiggen...
) and 1966 Maastik Lofootidelt (Lofoten
Lofoten
Lofoten is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Though lying within the Arctic Circle, the archipelago experiences one of the world's largest elevated temperature anomalies relative to its high latitude.-Etymology:...
Landscape). Such works, particularly their expressionist dynamism of colour, have a definite influence of other nordic artists, such as Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch was a Norwegian Symbolist painter, printmaker and an important forerunner of expressionist art. His best-known composition, The Scream, is part of a series The Frieze of Life, in which Munch explored the themes of love, fear, death, melancholia, and anxiety.- Childhood :Edvard Munch...
, Ernst Josephson
Ernst Josephson
Ernst Josephson was a Swedish painter from a prominent Jewish family, whose main work was done on portraits and paintings of folk life....
, and Akseli Gallen-Kallela
Akseli Gallen-Kallela
Akseli Gallen-Kallela was a Finnish painter who is best known for his illustrations of the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic . His work was considered very important for the Finnish national identity...
.
During the late 1960s and early 1970s Ole's style underwent a new and unexpected metamorphosis, returning to a cubist simplification of forms and gentle planes and motives, moving from landscape painting towards figurative compositions. These figures, almost naturalistic but simplified in a classical manner, attain a synthesis of Cubism-Naïvism. The result of this last change can be noticed on Ole's self-portrait of 1979 Autoportree, on the 1988 Motiiv Stockholmist (Motif from Stockholm), and on the 1991 Uue pesa ehitamine. Eskiis (Construction of a New Nest. Sketch).
In 1981 Ole was granted the Culture Award of Estonians in Sweden.
Ole was buried at the Forest Cemetery in Tallinn.