Eduard Wiiralt(20 March 1898 – 8 January 1954) was a well-knownEstoniangraphic artist.[1]In art history, Wiiralt is considered as the most remarkable master of Estonian graphic art in the first half of his century. The best-known of his works include "Inferno", "Hell", "Cabaret", "Heads of Negroes", "Sleeping Tiger", and "Head of a Camel".
Eduard Wiiralt | |
|---|---|
Eduard Viiralt | |
| Born | 20 March 1898 Tsarskoselsky Uyezd,Saint Petersburg Governorate,Russian Empire |
| Died | 8 January 1954(aged 55) Paris,France |
| Nationality | Estonian |
| Education | Anton Starkopf |
| Alma mater | Pallas Art School Dresden Academy of Art |
Life
editEduard Wiiralt was born in Kalitino Manor,Tsarskoselsky Uyezd,Saint Petersburg Governorateto Estonian estate servants Anton and Sophie-Elisabeth Wiiralt. In 1909, the family moved to Estonia, where the father was employed in the Varangu estate in the Järva County. At age of 17, Wiiralt entered theTallinn School of Applied Art.There one of his teachers was the Estonian painter and draughtsman,Nikolai Triik,who exerted strong influence on the work of the young artist.[2]Wiiralt did not graduate, however, due to the start of the German occupation andrevolution.
Wiiralt continued his studies in Tartu in thePallasart school, working in the sculpture studio ofAnton Starkopfin 1919. There the teachings in the art of engraving were guided by the manuals and the works of the old masters. This influenced his artistic technique even to his later years.[3]The studies were interrupted by his participation in theEstonian War of Independence.In 1922–1923, Wiiralt continued his studies as a grantee of Pallas, in the Dresden Academy of Art in Germany; under the supervision of Professor Selmar Werner. In his works of that period a certain influence of German expressionism may be observed.[3]Wiiralt returned to Tartu in the fall of 1923. In 1924 he graduated from Graphic Arts Department of art school Pallas leading its graphic studio during following year.
He went to Paris in 1925 and lived there almost without interruption until 1938. In Paris he created his etchingHell.In 1937 the International Graphic Exhibition inViennarecognized him as the leading engraver in Europe, honoring him with its gold medal. From July 1938 to February 1939 he lived and worked inMarrakeshMorocco,returning the following year to his homeland Estonia.[4]
Later life and death
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He survivedWorld War IIin Estonia. In 1944, he made an attempt to return to Paris, but the war took him instead to Germany and later to Sweden. It was not until the fall of 1946 that he reached Paris again. At the end, he lived in the southern part of the city,Sceaux,at Rue Houdan 61. Eduard Wiiralt died at the age of 55 in Paris, in the Danncourt hospital due to gastric cancer and was buried in thePère Lachaise Cemeteryon 12 January 1954.
Works
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Hell
editHellis an etching from 1932. The print is 39.4 x 46.8 cm. It is in the collection of theArt Museum of Estonia(orEesti Kunstimuuseum). Using the etching technique of the old masters, the print shows the darkness of social oppression and estrangement.[5][6]
Collections
editWiiralts work is represented in several collections in both Europe and America, including: some Paris museums, theAlbertinain Vienna, theHamburg Kunsthalle,theCabinet des EstampesinAntwerp,the Berlin Kupfertsichkabinett,thePrints Division of The New York Public Library,theNational Museum in Stockholm,theCalografia NationaleinRome,and the Museum of Western Art inMoscow.This included an etch he began in 1932 named Hell, which is currently in the collection of the Eesti Kunstimuuseum. This work has been said to resemble the style and skill of past masters, which resulted in "the depictions of the darkest aspects and fears of human nature and the hellishness of social oppression".[7]
His complete work consists of some 450engravings,etchings,wood engravingsandlithographs.He was aSocietaireof theSalon d'Automneand ofSalon des Independentsin Paris, and an Honorary Member of the Royal Society of Etchers and Engravers inLondon.[4]
References
edit- ^"Eduard Wiiralt"
- ^Kangilaski, O. (1959).Eduard Wiiralt.Tallinn: Eesti Riiklik Kirjastus. p. 4.
- ^abKangilaski, O. (1959).Eduard Wiiralt.Tallinn: Eesti Riiklik Kirjastus. p. 9 (Appendix).
- ^abEduard Wiiralt: (1898-1954).Levin, Mai. Tallinn. 2015.ISBN9789949485475.OCLC949267818.
{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link) - ^Review–opinion;
- ^Eduard Wiiralt. Gift from the Estonian CommitteeArchived2019-08-16 at theWayback Machine,Kumu Art Museum, 4.10.2009
- ^"Hell".Europeana Collections.Retrieved2019-12-06.
Bibliography
edit- Kangilaski, O. (1959).Eduard Wiiralt(in Estonian). Tallinn: Eesti Riiklik Kirjastus. p. 136.