From 5 June, a new exhibition of portrait paintings can be seen at the University of Tartu Art Museum

“The Face of a Decade” presents portrait paintings by Estonian artists from the collection of the University of Tartu Art Museum. Created over roughly a ten-year period, between 1965 and 1975, the works present a snapshot of a particular era, offering an opportunity to explore the representation of the human figure in painting in Soviet Estonia.

No single collection can encompass all artistic developments of the time. Even so, this relatively small and diverse selection captures the key artists and tendencies of the period. Alongside the socially typified portraits favoured by Soviet art ideology, the exhibition features more personal and intimate approaches. Poetic realism is complemented by more playful explorations of colour and form in the depiction of the human subject.

The portraits span the course of human life, from childhood and adolescence through the golden years of adulthood to dignified old age. Ants Viidalepp’s works offer a particularly humorous perspective on later life. In this way, “The Face of a Decade” complements the exhibition “Is It Easy to Be Old?” at the University Museum in the Cathedral, where visitors can continue reflecting on representations of age and ageing.