Konrad Vilhelm Mägi (1 November 1878 – 15 August 1925) 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, and t ...

n painter, primarily known for his

landscape A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes th ...

work. He was one of the most colour-sensitive Estonian painters of the first decades of the 20th century, and Mägi's works on motifs of the island of

Saaremaa Saaremaa is the largest island in Estonia, measuring . The main island of Saare County, it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hiiumaa island and west of Muhu island, and belongs to the West Estonian Archipelago. The capital of the islan ...

are the first modern Estonian nature paintings.

Life and works

Mägi received his elementary art education from the drawing courses of the German Artisans' Society of

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after the Northern European country's political and financial capital, Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 91,407 (as of 2021). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast o ...

(1899–1902.) At the same time, he was keenly engaged in theater, violin, and various sports. Mägi continued his art education as an unattached student in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

(1903–1905), studying under

Amandus Adamson Amandus Heinrich Adamson (12 November 1855 in Uuga-Rätsepa, near Paldiski, Estonia, then Russian Empire — 26 June 1929 in Paldiski, Estonia) was an Estonian sculptor and painter. Life Born into a seafaring family, Adamson excelled in wood car ...

. In the autumn of 1907, he went to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

. There Mägi studied at a free academy. From 1908 to 1910, he lived in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. In 1912, Mägi returned to Tartu, where he worked as an art teacher. In

Åland Åland ( fi, Ahvenanmaa: ; ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland since 1920 by a decision of the League of Nations. It is the smallest region of Finland by area and population, with a size of 1 ...

, he created delicate plant vignettes in the style of

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Moder ...

: ''Kahekesi'' (''Two together''; 1908; China ink drawing). In Paris, Mägi was influenced by

Impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passa ...

and

Fauvism Fauvism /ˈfoʊvɪzm̩/ is the style of ''les Fauves'' (French language, French for "the wild beasts"), a group of early 20th-century modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong colour over the Representation (arts), repr ...

, which had a significant impact on his colours: ''Lilleline väli majakesega'' (''A flower field with a little house''; 1908–1909), ''Norra maastik männiga'' (''A Norwegian landscape with a pine''; 1910). From 1918, the influence of Expressionism is manifest, fostered by Mägi's extreme sensitivity and emotional response to the anxious times: ''Pühajärv'' (''Lake Püha''); (1918–1920), ''Otepää maastik'' (''Landscape of

Otepää Otepää (formerly Nuustaku) is a town in Valga County, southern Estonia, it is the administrative centre of Otepää Parish. Otepää is a popular skiing resort, popularly known as the "winter capital" of Estonia (in contrast to the "summer c ...

''); (1918–1920). Also influenced by Expressionism are his big figure compositions ''Pietà'' (1919), ''Kolgata'' (''Golgatha'') (1921). Mägi's new artistic period, begun on a trip to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, brought calmer tempers: ''Varemed Capril'' (''Ruins in Capri''; 1922–1923). Along with nature pictures, he painted flowers and portraits. Mägi's mostly beautiful female models express the Art Nouveau ideal of beauty: ''Holsti'' (1916). In his later portraits from the 1920s, a more serious temper is expressed: ''Madonna'' (1923–1924).

Gallery

File:Magi4.jpg, Portrait of a Woman (1908) File:Magi Lilleline väli majakesega 1909.jpg, Flowery Field with Little House (1909) File:Konrad Mägi Norra maastik.jpg, Landscape of Norway (1908-1910) File:Magi2.jpg, View of a Mansion (ca. 1910) File:Maastik kellatorniga. konradmagi.jpg, A Landscape with a Bell Tower (1913-1914) File:Mägi, Konrad. Landscape of Vilsandi.1913‒1914. Tartu Art Museum.jpg, Landscape of Vilsandi (1913-1914) File:Konrad Mägi - Maastik punase pilvega - õli.JPG,

Landscape with a Red Cloud ''Landscape with a Red Cloud'' (Estonian: ''Maastik punase pilvega'') is a painting by Estonian artist Konrad Mägi from 1913 to 1914. Description The painting's dimensions are 66.3 x 55 centimeters. It is in the collection of the Art Museum of Es ...

(1913-1914) File:Konrad Mägi - Vilsandi motiiv - 1913-1914 õli.JPG, Vilsandi Motif (1913-1914) File:Saaremaa etüüd.jpg, Rannamaastik ''(Beach landscape)'' (1913-1914) File:Konrad Mägi - Maastik kividega 1913-1914.JPG, Landscape with Rocks (1913-1914) File:Konrad Mägi. Teel Viljandist Tartusse. 1915-1916.jpg, On the Road from

Viljandi Viljandi (, german: Fellin, sv, Fellin) is a town and municipality in southern Estonia with a population of 17,407 in 2019. It is the capital of Viljandi County and is geographically located between two major Estonian cities, Pärnu and Tartu ...

(1915-1916) File:Saaremaa motiiv.jpg, Motif from

(date unknown) File:Capri - KMägi.jpg, Capri Island (1922-1923) File:KONRAD MÄGI 1922-1923 Itaalia maastik. Rooma.jpg, Italian Landscape. (1922-1923) File:Veneetsia1.jpg, Venice (1922-1923) File:Magi veneetsia.jpg, Venice (1922-1923)

References

External links

Konrad Mägi
Official homepage
Works by Konrad Mägi
at the Art Museum of Estonia {{DEFAULTSORT:Magi, Konrad 1878 births 1925 deaths People from Elva Parish People from the Governorate of Livonia Art Nouveau painters Modern painters Expressionist painters 19th-century Estonian painters 19th-century Estonian male artists 20th-century Estonian painters 20th-century Estonian male artists

Life and works

Gallery

See also

References

External links