Karl Pärsimägi (11 May 1902 – 27 July 1942) was an Estonian

Fauvist Fauvism ( ) is a style of painting and an art movement that emerged in France at the beginning of the 20th century. It was the style of (, ''the wild beasts''), a group of modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong col ...

painter. He was murdered in

Auschwitz concentration camp Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) d ...

after being arrested in Paris.

Biography

Karl Pärsimägi was born in Oe,

Antsla Parish Antsla Parish () is a rural Municipalities of Estonia, municipality of Estonia, in Võru County. Settlements ;Town Antsla ;Small boroughs Kobela, Estonia, Kobela - Vana-Antsla ;Villages Anne, Estonia, Anne - Antsu - Haabsaare - Jõepera, Võru C ...

in 1902, Pärsimägi was the son of a wealthy "gentleman farmer". In 1919, he participated in the

Estonian War of Independence The Estonian War of Independence, also known as the War of Freedom in Estonia, was a defensive campaign of the Estonian Army and its allies, most notably the United Kingdom, against the Soviet Russian westward offensive of 1918–1919 and the ...

and was awarded a medal. After that, against his father's wishes, he went to

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

to enrol at the new Pallas Art School, known for promoting modern art. In addition to the newer styles, such as Fauvism, he found himself influenced by Estonian folk art and by Konrad Mägi, who was a teacher there. He also studied with

Ado Vabbe Ado Vabbe (19 March 1892 – 20 April 1961) was an Estonian painter, printmaker, and teacher. Ado Vabbe is known for bringing abstraction back home to Estonia after being educated at Anton Ažbe's art school in Munich from 1911 to 1913. Active a ...

and Nikolai Triik and went on a study trip to Germany in 1923. That same year, he held his first exhibition. He interrupted his training several times to visit the family farm and paint landscapes. He moved to Paris in 1937 with the financial support of his father, who had finally become reconciled to his son's career choice. While there, he studied at the

Académie Colarossi The Académie Colarossi (1870–1930) was an art school in Paris founded in 1870 by the Italian model and sculptor Filippo Colarossi. It was originally located on the Île de la Cité, and it moved in 1879 to 10 rue de la Grande-Chaumière in the ...

and came under the influence of

Paul Cézanne Paul Cézanne ( , , ; ; ; 19 January 1839 – 22 October 1906) was a French Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter whose work introduced new modes of representation, influenced avant-garde artistic movements of the early 20th century a ...

, although he became known as the "Estonian

Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual arts, visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, ...

". At the outbreak of World War II, unlike most other Baltic artists, he refused to return to his homeland, which was now occupied by the Russians. In 1941, he was arrested by the

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

in Paris and taken to Auschwitz via

Drancy internment camp Drancy internment camp () was an assembly and detention camp for confining Jews who were later deported to the extermination camps during the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, German occupation of France duri ...

. The reasons for his arrest remain unclear. He was not Jewish, but may have been trying to help a Jewish friend or active in the

French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...

. Sexual orientation has also been cited as a possible motive."Müstiline Karl Pärsimägi"
by Kädi Talvoja from the ''

Sirp ''Sirp'' (; formerly ''Sirp ja Vasar'', 'sickle and hammer') is a newspaper published in Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from F ...

'' website. He was murdered the following year. Because of his support for Estonian independence, his works were denied official recognition by the Soviet Union, but interest was renewed after 1991. The 100th anniversary of his birth was celebrated with an exhibition and many of his works are now at the

Tartu Art Museum The Tartu Art Museum (Estonian language, Estonian: ''Tartu Kunstimuuseum'') is a state-owned museum of art located in Tartu, Estonia. It was founded in 1940 on a private initiative by the members of local art school Pallas. This is the largest ar ...

Selected paintings

File:Parsimagi Portrait.jpg, Portrait of a Woman File:Parmagi Polakt.jpg, Lying Nude File:TKM 3888M, Tüdruk ja kuu, Karl Pärsimägi.jpg, Girl at the Window File:Farmhouse with a Stove - Karl Pärsimägi.jpg, Farmhouse with a Stove File:Parsimagi In the park.jpg, In the Park File:Parmagi Interieur.jpg, Interior File:Parsimagi Interior.jpg, Interior File:Parsimagi Woman.jpg, Japanese Woman TKM 1573M, Toomemäe motiiv, Karl Pärsimägi.jpg, Toomemäe motif

References

External links

More paintings by Pärsimägi
@ Virumaa

by Heie Treier @ the Eesti Institut {{DEFAULTSORT:Parsimagi, Karl 1902 births 1942 deaths People from Antsla Parish People from Kreis Werro Fauvism Estonian modern painters 20th-century Estonian painters 20th-century Estonian male artists Académie Colarossi alumni Estonian military personnel of the Estonian War of Independence Estonian people who died in Auschwitz concentration camp

Biography

Selected paintings

References

Further reading

External links