- Konrad Mägi
Konrad Mägi (
November 1 ,1878 –August 15 ,1925 ) was anEstonia n landscape painter. He was one of the most colour-sensitive Estonian painters of the first decades of the 20th century, and Mägi's works on motives of the island ofSaaremaa are the first modern Estonian nature paintings.Mägi received his elementary art education from the drawing courses of the German Artisans' Society of
Tartu (1899–1902.) At the same time, he was keenly engaged in theater, violin, and various sports.Mägi continued his art education as an unattached student in
Saint Petersburg (1903–1905.) In the autumn of 1907, he went toParis . There Mägi studied at a free academy. From 1908 to 1910, he lived inNorway . In 1912, Mägi returned to Tartu, where he worked as an art teacher.In
Åland , he created delicate plantvignette s in the style ofArt Nouveau : "Kahekesi" ("Two together"; 1908; China ink drawing). In Paris, Mägi was influenced byImpressionism andFauvism , which had a significant impact on his colours: "Lilleline väli majakesega" ("A flower field with a little house"; 1908–1909), "Norra maastik männiga" ("A Norwegian landscape with a pine"; 1910).From 1918, the influence of
Expressionism is manifest, fostered by Mägi's extreme sensitivity and emotional response to the anxious times: "Pühajärv" ("Lake Püha")"; 1918–1920), "Otepää maastik" ("Landscape ofOtepää "; 1918–1920). Also influenced by Expressionism are his big figure compositions "Pietà" (1919), "Kolgata" ("Golgatha"; 1921).Mägi's new artistic period, begun on a trip toItaly , brought calmer tempers: "Varemed Capril" ("Ruins in Capri"; 1922–1923). Along with nature pictures, he painted flowers and portraits. Mägi's mostly beautiful female models express the Art Nouveau ideal of beauty: "Holsti" (1916). In his later portraits from the 1920s, a more serious temper is expressed: "Madonna" (1923–1924).
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