Introduction

The Society of Estonian Artists in Toronto is certainly one of the most active national groups of artists in the city. Despite the relatively small size of the Estonian community, there are numerous artists working here, out of all proportion to the size of the population. As an art historian and critic I have also been impressed by the quality of the catalogues published to mark the Society's major exhibitions, which exemplify the energy and seriousness of the members. Equally successful is the balance that has been struck between preserving an Estonian identity while emphasizing that the members are both Canadians and Torontonians. The latter was delightfully illustrated by Ants Vomm's painting "60 Mayors of Toronto," presented to the city in 1993, which contained portraits of all the mayors of Toronto from 1793 up to that date.

Looking through the illustrations in the catalogues we see that the art ranges from the figurative to the abstract in both sculpture and painting, though most is figurative. There is a considerable variety of subject matter, portraits, scenes with people, Estonian themes, still lives, a few town scapes, but we find a preponderance of landscapes. The large number of landscapes, whether memories of Estonia or Canadian scenes is not surprising. The land, even more than towns, evokes a sense of history and continuity. While Estonia was under Soviet tyranny emigrant groups were naturally impelled to preserve both their heritage and a living presence. Landscapes thus contained a twofold significance: the pleasure of the landscape itself and an underlying web of associations. The sculpted and painted portraits of prominent members of the Estonian community in Toronto also had this larger meaning, suggesting the survival of a country that the Soviets were trying to efface.

The achievement of Estonian independence was thus obviously a very special event for the members of EKKT, and they were able to celebrate it with an exhibition in Estonia, in Tallinn in 1996. The organization of the show and the transportation of the works was a major undertaking, and an expensive one, but the fact that it was successfully accomplished indicates the remarkable qualities of the Society. The role of EKKT is also partly changed by the rebirth of Estonia as it no longer has to preserve a tradition in exile. Given the dynamism of the Society we look forward to its response to these new conditions as it enters the twenty-first century.