Johann Köler-Wiliandi (Ivan Petrovich Keller) was an Estonian artist, the founder of Estonian painting, an academician and professor at the Imperial Academy of Arts. He was born in 1826 in Estonia. Having received an art education at the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg, he remained true to the ideals of the academic school of painting, which was strongly influenced by Romanticism, until the end of his life.
In Saint Petersburg, Köler painted portraits of the representatives of the high society, but at the same time created works of art in the genres of religious, landscape and salon painting. Johann Köler can certainly be considered the founder of Estonian national art.
In 1946, a portrait, that had been kept in the State Hermitage, was transferred from the State Russian Museum to the main fund of the Murmansk Regional Museum of Local Lore. According to the documents, the “Portrait of a Lady” was painted by a Russian artist of Estonian descent Johan Köler. For many years, the portrait, which was first in the local history museum, and in 1996 was transferred to the Murmansk Regional Art Museum, was known under this name — until the employees of the art museum completed a great amount of work on identifying the provenance and established who was depicted in the painting.
The portrait depicts Maria Alexandrovna, Princess of Hesse, Empress of Russia, wife of Alexander II, and mother of Emperor Alexander III. She was born in 1824 in the family of Duke Ludwig II of Hesse in Darmstadt. She co-founded the Russian Red Cross Society and established open all-class women’s educational institutions — gymnasiums. She spent huge amounts of money to help those in distress.
In Saint Petersburg, Köler painted portraits of the representatives of the high society, but at the same time created works of art in the genres of religious, landscape and salon painting. Johann Köler can certainly be considered the founder of Estonian national art.
In 1946, a portrait, that had been kept in the State Hermitage, was transferred from the State Russian Museum to the main fund of the Murmansk Regional Museum of Local Lore. According to the documents, the “Portrait of a Lady” was painted by a Russian artist of Estonian descent Johan Köler. For many years, the portrait, which was first in the local history museum, and in 1996 was transferred to the Murmansk Regional Art Museum, was known under this name — until the employees of the art museum completed a great amount of work on identifying the provenance and established who was depicted in the painting.
The portrait depicts Maria Alexandrovna, Princess of Hesse, Empress of Russia, wife of Alexander II, and mother of Emperor Alexander III. She was born in 1824 in the family of Duke Ludwig II of Hesse in Darmstadt. She co-founded the Russian Red Cross Society and established open all-class women’s educational institutions — gymnasiums. She spent huge amounts of money to help those in distress.
