Kristjan Raud

Kristjan Raud

Kristjan Raud on the front of the Estonian 1 kroner banknote

Kristjan Raud (born October 10 ^{. Jul} / 22. October  1865 ^greg. In the village Kirikuküla , then parish St. Jakobi ; † 19th May 1943 in Tallinn ) was a German-Estonian painter and graphic artist.

Life

Kristjan Raud studied from 1892 to 1897 at the Art Academy in Saint Petersburg . He then attended the Düsseldorf Art Academy in 1897/98 as a student of Peter Janssen . He took private lessons in Düsseldorf with Theodor Funck . From 1899 to 1901 he then attended Anton Ažbe's private painting school in Munich , and finally from 1901 to 1903 the Munich Academy of Art .

From 1904 to 1914 Raud lived in Dorpat , Livonia , where he opened his own studio in 1904. He lived in Tallinn from 1914 until his death. Numerous trips took him abroad, including to Finland from 1909, to Germany in 1922 and to Paris in 1926 .

Art life

Kristjan Raud has been committed to a more dynamic art life in Estonia since the beginning of the 20th century. He organized the first art exhibitions in what is now Estonia and brought folk art to the consciousness of Estonian artists. Raud wanted to raise the artistic level of the wider population in Estonia. Raud was one of the co-founders of the Estonian National Museum ( Eesti Rahva Muuseum ) in Tartu and headed its folklore collection from 1909 to 1913 . He actively participated in the Noor Eesti movement.

In Tallinn, Raud headed the branch of the Estonian National Museum and was responsible for the great folklore field mission in 1920. He taught from 1923 to 1936 at the State School of Applied Arts ( Riiklik Kunsttööstuskool ). From 1928 Kristjan Raud lived in what is now the Tallinn district of Nõmme , where he opened his own studio (now a museum) a year later.

The Republic of Estonia declared 1940 Kristjan Raud Year in honor of the artist's 75th birthday. A monument in Tallinn has been commemorating him since 1969.

Artistic work

Kalevipoeg

Kristjan Raud has created a versatile oeuvre that ranges from pencil drawings to bookplates and book illustrations to oil and tempera pictures . He also used gouache and watercolor techniques .

The subjects of his work were often the simple rural life in Estonia. Raud is particularly famous for his depictions of Estonian farmers. In addition, his stays on the Estonian Baltic coast , especially on the Pakri Islands and the island of Muhu , are reflected in his work. Raud also took up the Estonian folk tales and scenes from Estonian mythology and gave them a pictorial expression with drawings of ghosts, trolls and gnomes.

Raud devoted himself intensively to illustrating the Estonian national epic Kalevipoeg . From 1913 to 1917 he worked for the Estonian Literary Society ( Eesti Kirjanduse Selts ) on a magnificent edition of the Kalevipoeg. Several hundred pen and charcoal drawings were created between 1913 and his death in 1943. The Kalevipoeg illustrated by Raud was published in 1935 (reprinted in 1975) and was a great success. At the World Exhibition in Paris in 1937 , he received the Grand Prix for this . In the 1930s, Raud showed himself to be a later supporter of national romanticism . Throughout his life he sought to give his work a folk style.

Kristjan Raud Prize

The Kristjan Raud Prize has been awarded annually to four artists for exceptional achievements by the Estonian Artists Association ( Eesti Kunstnike Liit ) and the city of Tallinn since 1973 .

Private life

Kristjan Raud was married to Elviira Raud. The couple had three children. Kristjan Raud is the older twin brother of the Estonian painter Paul Raud .

literature

• Juta Kivimäe (Ed.): Kristjan Raud. Tallinn 1988
• Lehti Viiroja: Kristjan Raud (1865-1943). Looming yes mõtteavaldused. Tallinn 1981

Web links

• Literature by and about Kristjan Raud in the catalog of the German National Library
• Kristjan Raud House Museum in Tallinn-Nõmme
• resume
• Kristjan Raud of the Estonian National Character
• Pictures (digital collection of the Estonian Art Museum )

Individual evidence

Commons : Kristjan Raud  - collection of images, videos and audio files

1. ↑ Bettina Baumgärtel , Sabine Schroyen, Lydia Immerheiser, Sabine Teichgröb: Directory of foreign artists. Nationality, residence and studies in Düsseldorf . In: Bettina Baumgärtel (Hrsg.): The Düsseldorf School of Painting and its international impact 1819–1918 . Michael Imhof Verlag, Petersberg 2011, ISBN 978-3-86568-702-9 , Volume 1, p. 438
2. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from April 12, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
3. ↑ Eesti elulood. Tallinn: Eesti Entsüklopeediakirjastus 2000 (= Eesti entsüklopeedia 14) ISBN 9985-70-064-3 , p. 410
4. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from April 12, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.