Ants Laikmaa

Ants Laikmaa ( born May 5, 1866 Farm Paiba, village Araste, community Vigala, † November 19, 1942 in the yard at Kadarpiku Taebla ) was an Estonian painter.

Life

Ants Laikmaa ( until 1935 Hans Laipman ) was born the 13th child of a poor family Estonian. He attended schools in Vigala, Haapsalu and Lihula. His mother died when he was a child. Laikmaa early discovered his passion for painting. He was from Riga to Dusseldorf on foot. There he studied from 1891 to 1893 and 1896/97 at the Dusseldorf Art Academy. From 1897 to 1899 he worked in Dusseldorf. In the fall of 1899 he returned to Tallinn.

From 1900 to 1907 Ants Laikmaa was active as an artist in Tallinn and Haapsalu. Study tours have taken him to Belgium, France, Austria, Finland and the Netherlands. In 1901 he organized the first Estonian art exhibition ever in Tallinn, in 1906 followed by the first test entire Indian art show in Tartu. In 1903 he founded a studio school in Tallinn. In 1907, he lifted the Estonian Art Association ( Eesti Kunstiselts ) from the baptism.

1904 met the 38 -year-old Laikmaa the great love of his life, the 21- year-old Marie hackers. She was promoted artistic later under the name of Marie Under one of the most famous poets of the time and of the enamored Laikmaa. In the same year he painted two portraits of her that are known to Laikmaas.

From 1907 to 1909 he worked mainly in Finland. 1909 to 1913 he toured the major art cities in Europe. He lived from 1910 to 1912 among others in Capri and Tunisia. From 1913 to 1931 Ants Laikmaa worked as a freelance artist and art teacher in Tallinn. 1927 his only daughter Aino Marie (later Anu Kilpiö, † 1969) was born, a child of his model " Miku ". 1932 Laikmaa moved to the vicinity of Taebla in Lääne on conceived by him Kadarpiku yard with a 7 -hectare park, where he lived until his death and worked.

Ants Laikmaa died in November 1942 in Kadarpiku. He is also buried there. Laikmaa remained unmarried all his life. His farm in the countryside is devoted to his life and works since 1960 as a museum.

Painter

Ants Laikmaa is mainly known for his watercolor painting. He brought Impressionism to Estonia, but devoted himself to the realism. Laikmaa often painted natural landscapes, usually with strong colors. His portraits of the intellectual and artistic elite of Estonia can be described as masterful. He was also politically engaged. In particular, he promoted the training and promotion of Estonian art. Among other things, he was one of the founders of the Estonian National Museum ( Eesti Rahva Muuseum ) in Tartu.

The best-known works

  • Self-Portrait (1902 )
  • Lääne neiu (1903 )
  • Portrait of Marie Under ( 1904)
  • Vigala TAAT (1904 )
  • Portrait of August Kitzberg (1915 )
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