Kaljo Põllu

Kaljo Põllu (28 November 1934 in Kopa, Hiiumaa – 23 March 2010)^[1] was an Estonian artist. In 1962 he received a diploma in glass art, and became director of art cabinet of Tartu State University; he founded the contemporary artist's group Visarid in 1966 in Tartu. In 1973 he moved to Tallinn, where from 1975 to 1996 he taught drawing in the Estonian Academy of Arts; at this point his art changed in style dramatically as he searched for influences from the ancient Finno-Ugric culture.

In 2007 the University of Tartu gave Põllu their "Contribution to Estonian National Identity" award.^[2]

Creative career

• 1959–1962 first independently created graphic and painting works during studies in the art academy

Tartu period

• 1962–1975 graphic works on impressions from travels in Estonia, Koola peninsula and Transcaucasia
• 1963–1972 abstract, pop-like and op-like graphic artwork and paintings
• 1967–1972 establishing and directing the artistic group "Visarid"
• 1973–1975 collection "Kodalased" ("People at Home") of mezzotinto graphic works (25 works)

Tallinn period

• 1978–1984 collection "Kalivägi" ("Kali People") of mezzotinto graphic works (65 works)
• 1987–1991 collection "Taevas ja maa" ("Heaven and Earth") of mezzotinto graphic works (40 works)
• 1991–1995 collection "Kirgastumine" ("Enlightenment") of mezzotinto graphic works (47 works)
• 1994–2008 created more than 100 paintings on figurative impossibleness and seemingly three-dimensionality
• 1998–2003 establishing and directing the artistic group "YDI"

Personal exhibitions outside Estonia (selection; all graphics exhibitions)

• 1972 exhibition of ex libris by Kaljo Põllu in Frederikshaven (Denmark)
• 1972 exhibition of graphics together with Allex Kütt in the central exhibition hall of all-Soviet Artists Union (25 Gorki Str., Moscow)
• 1984 exhibitions in the library of Helsinki University (Finland) and in Stavanger (Norway)
• 1985 exhibition in Jyväskylä (Finland)
• 1986 exhibition in Södertäle Art Hall (Sweden)
• 1987 exhibitions in Kymenlaakso (Finland); in Göteborg Art Museum, Västerbotten and in Örebro (Sweden)
• 1989 exhibition in Alta (Norway)
• 1990 exhibitions in Suomi Gallery and in Folkens Museum (both in Stockholm, Sweden); in Nordic House (Reykjavik, Iceland); during the VII International Fenno-Ugric Congress in Debrecen (Hungary)
• 1991 exhibitions in Oulu town library and in the art gallery "Pinacotheca" of Jyväskylä University (Finland); in Szombathelys (Hungary)
• 1992 exhibitions in Qaqortoq (Greenland/Denmark); in Seattle and Hancock-Michigan (USA); in Sorbonne Centre of Paris University (France)
• 1993 exhibition in Palm Beach Community College Florida (USA)
• 1994 exhibitions in Grazi Minorite Monastery (Austria), in Kammel Dok architecture centre (Copenhagen, Denmark)
• 1995 exhibitions in Finnish embassy in Paris (France), in Museum für Völkerkunde (Wien, Austria), during the VII International Fenno-Ugric Congress in Jyväskylä (Finland), in Barcelona University (Spain)
• 1996 exhibition in Sevilla and Salamanca University (Spain)
• 2001 exhibition in Budapest (Hungary)
• 2002 exhibition in Dublin National Theatre (Ireland)

Exhibition catalogues published outside Estonia about Kaljo Põllu

• Rödel, Klaus (1972), Kaljo Pöllu. Exlibrisportret 10, Frederikshavn (Denmark) 
• Bernshtein, B. (1972), Алекс Кютт, Кальё Пыллу. Каталог выставки [Aleks Kütt, Kaljo Põllu. Catalogue of the exhibition], Moscow 
• Farbregd, Turid (1982), Barn av vind og vatn [Born from wind and water]. Grafikk: Kaljo Põllu, Tekst: Jaan Kaplinski, Stavanger (Norway) 
• Olt, Harry; Rapp, Birgitta (1986), Barn av vind och vatten [Born from wind and water], Södertälje (Sweden) 
• Kaljo Põllu. Eesti. Grafiikkaa 1973–1988, Oulun Kaupunginkirjasto, 1991 
• Kaljo Pöllu. Anorrip immallu meerai, Qaqortoq (Greenland/Denmark), 1992 
• Lena Eriksson. Kaljo Põllu. "Barn av vind och vatten". Stockholms länsmusem, (Sweden): Länskonstmuseet, 1994 

There have been published approx. 30 titles on Kaljo Põllu's artwork in newspapers and journals outside Estonia.

Notes

References

• Kübarsepp, Riina (2005), "Visuaalse rahvaluule kollektsionäär Kaljo Põllu [Kaljo Põllu, Collector of Visual Folklore]", Mäetagused, 29: 31–74 . In Estonian. English translation of abstract at Directory of Open Access Resources.

• Saar, Johannes (2003), "Kaljo Põllu", i_CAN_Reader, International Contemporary Art Network . Translated by Liina Viires.

• "Art studio of Tartu State University and the "golden sixties"", Documenta 12 magazines, 2007 . Interview with Põllu.

• Kaljo Põllu, Tartu Riiklik Kunstimuuseum, 1971 .