Johann Köler (8 March 1826 – 22 April 1899) was a leader of the
Estonian national awakening
The Estonian Age of Awakening () is a period in history where Estonians came to acknowledge themselves as a nation deserving the right to govern themselves. This period is considered to begin in the 1850s with greater rights being granted to com ...
and a painter. He is considered as the first professional painter of the emerging nation. He distinguished himself primarily by his portraiture and to a lesser extent by his landscape paintings. Some of his most notable pictures depict the Estonian rural life in the second half of the 19th century.
Life and work
Johann Köler was born as the seventh child to a peasant family in Lubjassaare farmstead in Wast (present-day Ivaski),
Viljandi County
Viljandi County ( or ''Viljandimaa''; ) is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is located in southern Estonia bordering Pärnu, Järva, Jõgeva, Tartu and Valga counties as well as Latvia.
History
Viljandimaa, under the German name of ''Krei ...
. Despite the poverty of the parents Köler managed to attend the elementary and the district schools in Fellin (present-day Viljandi),
Livonia
Livonia, known in earlier records as Livland, is a historical region on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the Livonians, who lived on the shores of present-day Latvia.
By the end of the 13th century, the name was extende ...
. Then he attended a workshop of master painters in
Cēsis
Cēsis (; (, , , ) is a town in Latvia located in the northern part of the Central Vidzeme Upland. Cēsis is on the Gauja River valley, and is built on a series of ridges above the river, overlooking the woods below. Cēsis was selected to b ...
. In 1846, Köler travelled to
St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...
to work as a sign writer, where his talent was soon discovered. From 1848 to 1855 Johan Köler studied drawing and painting at the St. Petersburg Imperial Academy of Arts.
During 1857 Köler travelled to
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
via
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
, later returned to
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, then travelled to the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
and
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
. In 1858, he travelled across the
Alps
The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia.
...
to
Milan
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
,
Geneva
Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
,
Florence
Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025.
Florence ...
and
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
. There, he studied in a private academy and devoted his time to watercolor technique. In Rome during 1859 he presented his composition "Christ on the Cross".
Answering the call of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, Köler returned to the city in 1861. From 1862 to 1874 he was a teacher of the Grand Duchess Maria Aleksandrovna, the daughter of Czar Alexander II. In 1869–1870, he worked as a lecturer at the academy. From 1886 to 1889 Köler worked in
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
,
Nice
Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionimperial court to promote the cause of the Estonian people. He also was a friend of the journalist Carl Robert Jakobson, one of the authors of the idea of the Estonian self-determination.
From 1891 to 1893 Köler was the president of the
Society of Estonian Literati
The Society of Estonian Literati ( – EKmS) was an influential association of Estonian intellectuals based in Tartu between the years 1871 and 1893.Toivo U. Raun, ''Estonia and the Estonians'', Hoover Press, 2001, , p75
History
The articles of ...
(''Eesti Kirjameeste Selts'').
Miscellaneous
The town of Viljandi inaugurated a monument to Köler in 1976. ''
Eesti Post
Omniva is an international post and logistics company based in Tallinn, Estonia, that targets the Baltic region, Baltic states. The name Omniva was adopted in June 2014; the company was previously called AS Eesti Post, whose history can be trac ...
'' issued a commemorative postage stamp celebrating the 175th anniversary of his birth in 2001.
Best-known works
''Italian Woman with Children by a Stream''
''Italian Woman with Children by a Stream'' is an 1862 painting by Köler. The work has dimensions 82.5 cm x 53.5 cm. The work belongs to the
Art Museum of Estonia
The Art Museum of Estonia () was established in 1919. Originally based in Kadriorg Palace, the museum has expanded across several sites and today exhibits both international and local art works. At the end of the 1970s, in the 1980s the first br ...
's collection and is exhibited in
Kumu Art Museum
The Kumu Art Museum () is an art museum in Tallinn, Estonia. It is one of the largest museums in Estonia and one of the largest art museums in Northern Europe. It is one of the five branches of the Art Museum of Estonia, housing its main offices. ...
.
The painting is a realistic view with a warm
color palette
In color theory, a color scheme is a combination of 2 or more colors used in aesthetic or practical design. Aesthetic color schemes are used to create style and appeal. Colors that create a color harmony, harmonious feeling when viewed togethe ...
.
''Lorelei Cursed by Monks''
''Lorelei Cursed by Monks'' () is an oil painting on canvas painted in 1887, depicting the mythological nymph of the
Rhine
The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...
. It is part of the collection of the
Art Museum of Estonia
The Art Museum of Estonia () was established in 1919. Originally based in Kadriorg Palace, the museum has expanded across several sites and today exhibits both international and local art works. At the end of the 1970s, in the 1980s the first br ...
and is exhibited in the
Kumu Art Museum
The Kumu Art Museum () is an art museum in Tallinn, Estonia. It is one of the largest museums in Estonia and one of the largest art museums in Northern Europe. It is one of the five branches of the Art Museum of Estonia, housing its main offices. ...
in
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...
. The dimensions of the painting are 345 cm wide by 395 cm high. (136 in X 156 in)
Gallery
File:Johann Köler Itaallanna lastega ojal.jpg, Italian Woman with Children by a Stream (1862)
File:Itallanna. Roomlanna, Johann Köler, EKM j 6721 M 3144.jpg, Italian. Roman (1858)
File:Johann Köler 1859.jpg, Self Portrait (1859)
File:Johann Köler - Kristus ristil.jpg, Christ of the Cross (1857-1859)
File:Truu valvur, EKM00534 M01744 K8ler Truu valvur ACE6563.jpg, Faithful Guardian (1878)
File:Johann Köler Eva granaatõunaga 1879-1880.png, Eve with Pomegranate (1879-1880)
File:Johann Köler - Eva pärast pattu langemist.jpg, Eve after Falling Into Sin (1883)
File:Philipp Karell 1886.jpg, Portrait of Dr. Philipp Karell, Emperor's Physician (1886)
File:Portrait of Hugo Treffner by Johann Köler.jpg, Portrait of Hugo Treffner (1886)
File:Kreutzwald-köler.jpg, Portrait of
Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald
Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald ( – ) was an Estonians, Estonian writer and the author of the national epic ''Kalevipoeg''.
Life
Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald's parents were born at the Jõepere, Jömper estate, Governorate of Estonia, Russia ...