There are older and \"younger\" works in Jüri Mildeberg\'s panoptikum.

Jüri Mildeberg is mainly known as the illustrator and designer of children’s books, who has won several important prizes and has often found recognition. Among his fans have been twin toddlers from Finland, one old lady at the bank of the Gauja river and seven goats in the Rapla area, but recently the biggest satisfaction has been caused by the satisfied reader’s letter by Karl Ernst von Baer. In his creation Mildeberg deals with “minor details that are important” – cordial gorillas and decent daddies. Main issues are about warmth and mild humour, friendliness and secrets. But still, at the present exhibition Mildeberg talks of art.

Collecting of art started already several hundreds of years ago, but it was not exactly that time, when paintings and sculptures were collected separately in art museums. At that time wealthier people had their own collections of curious items, panopticons, not systematised and reglemented treasures at the back of the larder, where were stored stuffed exotic animals, strangely shaped stones, pretty oriental souvenirs, etc. Next to the whole stuff were also piled up pictures and statues. Mildeberg is like one of those wealthier people of the past, but his collection of curious items is the best of all. As he does not collect behind his door only things, but also animals and people, the existing ones and imaginary, never appearing ones. Furthermore – in his panopticon we also find History and Politics, Science and Mildeberg himself. From one side the artist is sort of joking, but from the other side he gives new meanings, interprets and tells stories, which as we know have never happened, but which still could have happened. This is an exhibition of the possibility of the impossible.

In addition to Lenin, Mildeberg, Christ and other well-known masters, in several Mildeberg works also appers Karl Ernst von Baer. Below is an extract of his satisfied reader’s letter:

Herr Jüri Mildeberg,

I was extremely happy, when I saw that You have set me auf die Bilder. I have been working for years als ein Scientist and have found that this is an extreemely gripping job. Mu Spezialität is descriptive embryology or a study of the birth of life and what can be found inside it. Now, by looking at Your Bilder, I felt that we talk about the same things. You have most probably read several of mu Hefte and found there the confirmation that life – it is a wonderful Thing. Because of that I am very pleased and be still hoping that one day Mildeberg is willing to decorate Baer’s Hefte with his works.

Yours
Karl Ernst von Baer
Aus Dorpat

P.S. It was especially nice to find out that I have been an Estonian farmer. My Mutter has never talked about that fact.