Alo Hoidre (until 1935 Horn, né Aleksander; January 26, 1916 – October 2, 1993) was an Estonian painter, book illustrator, and printmaker.

Life Hoidre was born in Petrograd, Russia, and he moved to Tallinn with his family in 1920, where he attended Primary School No. 18. From 1933 to 1937, he studied lithography at the State Industrial Art School, and from 1938 to 1941 he studied graphic arts at the Pallas Art School. He was mobilized into the Red Army in 1941 and took part in the Battle of Velikiye Luki in the ranks of the 8th Estonian Rifle Corps. He was demobilized in 1943, and he received a scholarship to study in Moscow and Leningrad. Hoidre returned to Tallinn in 1944, where he was the head of the art department of the newspaper Sirp ja Vasar. From 1944 to 1982, he was a lecturer at the State Art Institute of the Estonian SSR.

Artistic creation Hoidre created both independent illustrations and illustrations for books, and he mastered the techniques of lithography. As a painter, he preferred tempera and oil painting. He took part in numerous Estonian and Soviet exhibitions, including the prestigious . After returning from the Second World War, Hoidre devoted himself to book illustrations and artworks with a military and industrial theme.

In 1951, Hoidre collaborated with Ott Kangilaski, Richard Sagrits, , and to illustrate Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald's Kalevipoeg. The highly popular method of collective work at that time was used for this high-profile publication prepared for the tenth anniversary of the Estonian SSR. The intertitles and vignettes were created by Richard Kaljo, and the ornamental design of the intertitles was the work of Edith Paris. Another new edition of Kalevipoeg was published by in the five-volume series of works released to mark the 150th anniversary of Kreutzwald's birth in 1953 with illustrations by these artists.

In his later creative years, having withdrawn from commissions and teaching at the art institute, Hoidre's personality as a painter manifested itself in hedonistic, cheerful compositions. In the 1980s and early 1990s, the artist experimented with various materials and techniques, creating abstract paintings and collages on copper plates, cardboard, and wood next to the canvas, mainly for himself, experimenting with the possibilities of abstract art and using unexpected methods and materials. The color of Hoidre's late works is rich and deep, and the themes explore the basic problems of human existence. The titles of his paintings are informative: Kirgastumine (Brightening) and Selginemine (Clarification). The work Selginemine, completed in 1971, was the prelude to the recognition that came to him in the early 1990s, which also saw him receive the Kristjan Raud Art Award.

One trend in Hoidre's work is related to grotesque, semi-abstract figures, which he cultivated in both painting and prints. For painting, he used mixed media such as gold paint to make the composition more expressive and attractive. As an artist, Hoidre played on the border between tragedy and comedy in his works. His Kompositsioon suplejatega (Composition with Bathers, 1980) shows the more humorous side of his work.

Works

1939: Näod (Faces). Drypoint 1940: Kohtla-Järve (Kohtla-Järve). Lithography, paper 1940: The Monastery of Petseri by Hanno Kompus (Töökool). Cover illustration 1945: Rehepeks (Threshing). Lithography 1947: Ehitustööd Kiviõlis (Construction Work in Kiviõli). Lithography, paper 1947: Kiviõli (Kiviõli). Lithography, paper 1947: Kohtla-Järve (Kohtla-Järve). Lithography, paper 1948: Kohtla-Järve tehased (Kohtla-Järve Factories). Tempera, paper 1950: Punalipu üleandmine (Handing Over a Red Flag). Watercolor, Whatman paper. With Lepo Mikko and Priidu Aavik 1953: Jutustused (Tales), part 3, by Eduard Vilde (Eesti Riiklik Kirjastus). Illustrations 1955: Mahtra sõda (The Mahtra War). Charcoal 1958: Mahtra sõda (The Mahtra War) by Eduard Vilde (Eesti Riiklik Kirjastus). Cover illustration 1961: Lõhed (Gaps). Lithography, paper 1961: Pakane Punanina (Grandfather Frost the Red Nose) by Nikolay Nekrasov (Eesti Riiklik Kirjastus). Illustrations 1963: Pühajärv (Holy Lake). Lithography, paper 1963: Ema (Mother) by Maxim Gorky (Eesti Riiklik Kirjastus). Cover illustration 1964: Otepää maastik (Otepää Landscape). Lithography, paper 1967: Kes levitab anekdoote? (Who Is Spreading These Stories?) by Lilli Promet (Eesti Raamat). Cover illustration 1971: Lelu (Toy). Lithography, mixed media 1971: Selgimine (Clarification). Oil, masonite 1971: Colas Breugnon by Romain Rolland (Eesti Raamat). Cover illustration 1974: Kotermannide laul (Kotermann's Song). Mixed media 1974: Mäeküla piimamees (The Dairyman of Mäeküla) by Eduard Vilde (Eesti Raamat). Cover illustration 1975: Peagi saabun (I Will Arrive Soon). Mixed media 1978: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (Eesti Raamat). Cover illustration 1980: Kompositsioon suplejatega (Composition with Bathers). Mixed media 1984: Hiiglaste tee (Giant's Causeway) by August Jakobson (Eesti Raamat). Cover illustration 1986: Kunstimeistrid (Portree Eduard Wiiraltist) (Masters of Art, Portrait of Eduard Wiiralt). Color lithography 1988: Karolina (Carolina). Lithography, paper 1990: Kübar (Hat). Oil

Students Notable artists that studied under Alo Hoidre include the book artist and poster artist (1920–2016) and the printmaker (1930–2020).

Exhibitions 1999 (February 3 – March 5): Gallery 36, Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Tundmatu Alo Hoidre (The Unknown Alo Hoidre) 2000 (until April 30): green wing of the Tammsaare Museum, Alo Hoidre. Viimased maalid (Alo Hoidre: The Last Paintings) 2005 (September 19 – March 3): Pärnu City Gallery, Retrospektiiv (Retrospective)

Recognitions and awards 1969: 1982: People's Artist of the Estonian SSR 1984: Kristjan Raud Art Award 1991: Kristjan Raud Art Award

References