Paul Luhtein (1909 – 2007)

Schedule. Member of the Union of Artists of the USSR. People’s Artist of the Estonian SSR, Professor, honorary member of the Union of Artists of Estonia.
Paul Luchtein was an outstanding artist, whose active creative activity began while studying at the State Art and Industrial School (1924-1930) and continued until the last period of his life. As a living example and performer of cultural continuity, as a link between artists and emerging artists of different generations, he played a special and extraordinary role in our artistic life. A surprisingly good memory allowed him to be well versed in things that are not yet reflected in the written history of art. founded in 1932 (of which he was a founding member), in the 1930s he was a permanent member of the Art Club (Ku-Ku) (he was a member of the board of the club from its foundation in 1935 until 1940), etc

Interesting details were for everyone, the house of the honored artist was until recently open to everyone who was interested in the tortuous past paths of art.
Paul Luchtein studied at the Jakob Westholm Gymnasium from 1916 to 1924 and at the State Art and Design School in 1924, and in 1930 he graduated from the Faculty of Graphics and Printing as an applied artist. After graduating, he moved to the Leipzig Academy of Graphic and Book Art, a master class of the National Academy of Graphic and Book Art, where from 1931 to 1932 he studied with Professor Thimann.
From 1932 he worked as a teacher of consumer graphics at the State School of Art and Design, and in 1934 he was the reorganizer of the Tallinn Printing School. Paul Luchtein was one of 39 eligible citizens who in 1934 signed a demand to nominate Konstantin Päts as a candidate for head of state. In 1936, Paul Luchtein won first place in a competition with invited participants for sketches of national awards, which resulted in the execution of the Order of the State Emblem and its chain and the Order of the White Star.
In 1941, Paul Lukhtein was mobilized into the Red Army and at first he had to work on the construction of an oil plant in Udmurtia, but in 1942 he was able to leave for Yaroslavl and Moscow to work as an artist. Returning to Estonia, Paul Luhteina became one of the most sought-after authors of honorary addresses and designers of various emblems and symbols. He was also the designer of the national flag of the Estonian SSR (1952). The longest lasting contribution was made by Paul Luchtein in the 1950s and 1960s. years of book art. Already published in 1940 and designed and illustrated by him, The Son of Kalevipoeg showed the possibilities of creating quite original solutions in the classical ornamental and decorative style, while the peculiarity was emphasized by tin cutting, a technique that was the first and almost the only one used in Estonian graphics. The first album of engravings with views of Tallinn was released by the artist in 1957, each subsequent decade brought them more, and “Tallinn” (1989) received an award for printed graphics. The Iliad (1960) and Odyssey (1963) he created, as well as several works by A. H. Tammsaare, Friedebert Tuglas and Juhan Liiv, certainly belong to the classics of Estonian book art.
Having started teaching at the Tallinn State Institute of Applied Arts in 1944, the following year he became head of the graphics department (associate professor 1946, professor 1952) and remained in this position until 1982.
Online sale of paintings by Estonian artists is presented in the Rios Art Gallery.