Universe of the Farmyard: Creators of Southern Estonia

The book accompanies the exhibition “Universe of the Farmyard: Creators of Southern Estonia” at the Kumu Art Museum (22.10.2021–10.04.2022).

The exhibition and the book “Universe of the Farmyard: Creators of Southern Estonia” focus on artists of the first half of the 20th century from southern Estonia, whose oeuvre and its later reception have been defined by a belief in certain natural characteristics of the people of this region, including a romantic approach to life, creativity, cheerfulness and uniqueness. A lot of this belief is still present since the archaic traditions, closeness to nature, spoken dialects and customs of the people of southern Estonia are attractive as sources of inspiration, research material and lifestyle. This exhibition and the book mark the first time that south Estonia has been approached as a unique and rich cultural phenomenon in art.