Ants Laikmaa

Ants Laikmaa’s fruitful and extremely active life took him in spite of his trips all over Europe still always back to his birthplace at Läänemaa. After the studies in St.Petersburg Laikmaa left in the last decade of the 19. century for Düsseldorf, but the local stale academism quickly fended Laikmaa off, to study trips in Belgium, Holland, Finland, etc. His activity as a lecturer and organizer, but even more his creation caused Laikmaa’s becoming in the beginning of the 20. century the incontestable leader of the local artistic life, on which position he remained for decades.
The basic part of the powerful creation of Ants Laikmaa are first of all regarded pastel landscapes that gradually changed from impressionistic into more romantic ones. The present work also reflects Laikmaa’s deeply intimate and personal relationship towards his home place Läänemaa, stressing the artist’s longing for finding of the infallible “personal”.