On November 29, 2007 at the National Library of Belarus opens the exhibition Book Illustrations For Children. This exhibition has been prepared by the National Library of Belarus in cooperation with the National Library of Estonia, Estonian Graphic Designers Union and the Ministry of Culture of Belarus with the support of the Consulate General of Belarus in Tallinn.
The exhibition includes 43 works of the artists from Estonia. The aim of this project is education of moral qualities in young generation, raising the level of artistic content of the children’s books. When a child opens a book first of all he or she pays attention to pictures. And when a child has the skill of reading illustrations help to enrich the imagination.
Book illustrations as any other kind of art express the inner world of the artist, his creative search and also time and place where he was born. Very often these works have distinctive traits of Estonian culture. At the opening of the exhibition will be the representatives of the Embassy of Estonia, artists who take part in this event, public officials.
If not to consider the 1950s, when Estonian children’s book illustration was following the only favoured in the then Soviet Union realistic style, and the 1960s, when the modernistic trend, which was characteristic of this period, was being observed to counterbalance the previous decade, the Estonian children’s books illustration has been always characterised by the existence of strong and original artists, and their specific handwriting not subjected to the current trends in the world.
The fact that only few Estonian book illustrators have majored in illustration at higher educational establishments, and that the majority of artists have started with book illustrations having a different artistic training, has obviously its role to play here. Among the artists represented at this exhibition, for example, Catherine Zarip and Kristina Reineller are altogether ceramics by training, Viive Noor is an fashion designer, Kirke Kangro is a sculptor, Kadri Ilves is a painter, Tiia Mets is a design artist, Anne Pikkov is a designer, Anu Kalm, Naima Neidre, Enno Ootsing, Tiina Reinsalu and Kelli Valkare free lance graphics, Jϋri Mildeberg and Maara Vint are self-educators.
This is also due to the fact that during the Soviet period the art of illustration was in some meaning more independent and less controlled than other forms of art, and many renowned artists have realised themselves just in this field. This has created a tradition on the basis of which a special style of and approach to book illustration have been developed in Estonia. Looking from inside it is perhaps a bit difficult to find a certain common "Estonian style"; however, the observers from outside have in most cases noticed its existence and highlighted it. Maybe the Estonian art of illustration is indeed characterised by the existence of unique and individual handwritings that express the artists’ own conceptions and feelings and have developed into the opportunities and means of their self-expression rather than into the mirror of artistic conceptions of the era.
While it is often possible to confuse the handwritings of different artists in children’s books, as the great part of artists follows the so called "modern line", then in Estonia such confusion would be impossible. The style of every artist is recognisable from afar. Perhaps this is why the works of Estonian book illustrators are always welcome to international exhibitions and they have been a considerable success. One cannot expect top performers to emerge in large numbers from the people of population less than one million, however, the art of Estonian book illustration is characterised by equally high level.
Using the words by Vive Tolli, Professor Emeritus, who has for decades taught graphics at the Estonian Academy of Arts, that "illustrators are not trained they are born to be such", one can admit that at least as applied to Estonian book art this assertion is true.
Beginning from 2003 the Estonian Design Artists Association and the National Library of Estonia in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Estonia have organised the International Illustration Triennial, in which all the best book illustrators of the Baltic Sea countries are invited to participate. This exhibition is 99 percent put together by the works of Estonian artists exhibited at the Tallinn II International Illustration Triennial.
We hope that this brief introduction to the contemporary Estonian children’s book illustration be of wider interest also in Sweden and will make new friends to us.
The beginning: 5 p.m.
The exhibition will be open till December 17, 2007.
Address: Nezavisimosti Avenue, 116, 22nd floor, gallery “Panarama”
Phone for contacts: 293-27-66, 293-28-23
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