Where does art education begin?
It begins with explaining and practically mastering the fundamental building blocks of visual art: color, tone, line, composition, contrast, and so on.
To this day (although this approach can certainly be questioned), many art schools still find that these principles are most effectively demonstrated and practiced through still-life compositions. Stationary objects arranged in groups enter into a dialogue with one another, exchanging reflections, half-shadows, highlights, and other subtle visual effects. It is one of the simplest and most effective ways to learn how to depict the material world as a whole.
As a genre, the still life has also developed its own folklore within art education. I remember that when I studied at the Narva Art School, we had our favorite and most dreaded setups. Usually, this depended on how many objects made of "difficult" materials – glass, faience, or metal – were included in the composition.
For the anniversary exhibition of the Tartu Art School, I selected seven and a half still lifes from the school's collection, painted by students between 1957 and 2026. Each work represents a particular decade in the school's history, attempting – through the objects depicted or the artistic techniques employed – to reveal the spirit, history, aspirations, or simply the atmosphere of its time.
Since the school is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2026 rather than its 80th, I cannot yet present the current decade as a complete chapter. For this reason, the final – or present – decade is represented by an unfinished work. After all, we do not yet know where this period will lead or how it will ultimately be remembered.
The selection of works is subjective and does not claim to provide a definitive illustration of any particular era, even if it may occasionally seem that way to the viewer. Nevertheless, the selection was made in good faith: approximately five hundred still lifes from the school's collection were reviewed. The exhibition also deliberately avoids a chronological presentation. Instead, it seeks to show how students from different decades have perceived and depicted the material world across time.
Pictures:
https://drive.google.com/drive/u/2/folders/1bo_4T2hbU6TV0_l5-P7hjGrdUcHhxXn2
https://www.tartukunstikool.ee/et/uudised/tartu-kunstikool-75-naitused
Publication at ERR Kultuur
Text: Ilja Jakovlev
Curator: Ilja Jakovlev