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Old Village Women Conversing

Johannes Võerahansu (28.01.1902-17.10.1980)

The most striking part of Johannes Võerahansu’s creative work is no doubt his works with Saaremaa themes, which he created throughout his work. As one of Ants Laikmaa’s students, he went to Saaremaa as a youth already on a trip to collect old objects of folk handicrafts and started depicting the island more intensively in his paintings in the 1930’s. The traditional lifestyle of the island and its idyllic depiction were also important for him. This work was completed in 1941, for which reason it could be compared to Richard Uutmaa’s "Fishing Net Menders". A certain political message can also be seen in the depiction of a landscape and lifestyle associated with Estonian identity in the context of the time when it was painted.

Portrait of a Man. Karl Ormisson
Nude with Bandaged Hand
Female Nude Standing in Greenery
Old Village Women Conversing
Construction Workers
Sheep-Washers
On the Lakeshore
War Refugees
In the Studio
Painters
Red House
In the Loge
Portrait of Alvine Käppa
Portrait of a Woman
Portrait of Aino Suits
Portrait of a Woman
Self Portrait
 

Old Village Women Conversing

Johannes Võerahansu (28.01.1902-17.10.1980)

The tradition of depicting Saaremaa, Estonia’s largest island, is lengthy and associated among other things with romantic nationalist ideals. Eugen Gustav Dücker was one of the first to depict Saaremaa and Konrad Mägi, Nikolai Triik, Eerik Haamer, Johannes Võerahansu, Elmar Kits, Evald Okas, Peeter Mudist and many others continued working on Saaremaa in the 20th century. It can be said that Saaremaa is the most frequently painted place in Estonia. In addition to romantic and picturesque views (the particular diffraction of light on algae in areas near the shore, for instance, is also mentioned), the reason for this can also be considered to be nationalist moods: the Estonian mentality was created and embedded through the depiction of the landscapes of Saaremaa, tying that mentality to the harsh yet sturdy natural setting in the difficult conditions of Saaremaa.