Aino Bach (1 December 1901 – 6 August 1980) was an

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

n artist known for her

engravings Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an in ...

and her portrayals of

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

-era femininity.

Biography

Aino Bach was born in

Koeru Koeru is a small borough in Järva Parish, Järva County in northern-central Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland ac ...

in 1901. As a child, she lived in

Narva Narva, russian: Нарва is a municipality and city in Estonia. It is located in Ida-Viru county, at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, on the west bank of the Narva river which forms the Estonia–Russia international border. With 54 ...

, and attended secondary school in

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...

, before returning to Estonia in 1921. She studied painting at the Pallas Art School in Tartu under the supervision of

Nikolai Triik Nikolai Voldemar Triik (7 August 1884, Tallinn – 12 August 1940, Tallinn) was an Estonian Modern art, Modernist painter, graphic artist, printmaker and professor. His work displays elements of Symbolism (art), Symbolism and Expressionism. Bio ...

, and engraving with Ado Vabbe, whom she shared

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...

ideals with. In 1937, Bach married the painter

Kaarel Liimand Kaarel Liimand (also spelled as Karl Liiman(n); 12 May 1906 Tartu – August 1941 Pskov) was an Estonian painter. He studied at Pallas Art School. Further reading * Šmerl Jassmann, Hilja Läti. Kaarel Liimandi maaliloomingust. Kunst, 1964, n ...

. She worked as a lecturer at her former art school (now renamed after Konrad Mägi) in 1940-1941. In 1941, during the German occupation of Estonia, Bach was exiled in Yaroslav in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. There, she was an active member in the Union of Estonian Artists (ENSV Kunstnike Liidu), founded in 1943. She played a large role in the reorganization of Estonian artistic life with this organization. She was a mentor to fellow Estonian artist Evald Okas. Bach was awarded the State Prize of the Estonian SSR in 1947. After the war, Bach settled in

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...

. She was awarded People’s Artist of the Estonian SSR in 1961. Bach died in Tallinn on August 6, 1980.

Artistry

Many of Bach's works portray women, representing many different settings and professions. Her style has been described as including both poetic realism and

Socialist Realism Socialist realism is a style of idealized realistic art that was developed in the Soviet Union and was the official style in that country between 1932 and 1988, as well as in other socialist countries after World War II. Socialist realism is c ...

. Many of her pieces were created using intaglio engraving techniques and she broadened the expressive abilities of the technique. She was praised to have a wealth of nuances and original style, utilizing metal point engraving, etching, and colored monotype, which she often used multiple of in her works. While some of Bach's art has been characterized as a product of Soviet propaganda, art critic has argued that Bach, a genuine political leftist, used Soviet iconography as a means to portray women's participation in public life. Later in her career, Bach painted portraits of public figures including Debora Vaarandi.

References

External links

Collection of Bach's works held in the Art Museum of Estonia's digital catalogue

Image of Aino Bach at work, 1949 (in the photo collection of the Art Museum of Estonia)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bach, Aino 1901 births 1980 deaths People from Järva Parish People from Kreis Jerwen 20th-century Estonian women artists Estonian women illustrators Estonian printmakers Soviet women artists Soviet artists Women engravers People's Artists of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic (visual arts) Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Burials at Metsakalmistu 20th-century engravers