ESTONIA: The Life of Ülo Sooster
This week, prepare to delve into the captivating life of Ülo Sooster, a trailblazing Estonian modern artist. Born with a rebellious spirit, he found himself shackled by the oppressive grip of the Soviet Union. Yet, his passion for art coursed through his veins, driving his very existence. Tragically, his artistic expression collided with the iron fist of authority, leading to his arrest and a harrowing journey to a Stalinist gulag.
But what became of Ülo amidst the unforgiving confines of the gulag? Did the relentless toil of forced labor crush his spirit, or did it ignite a fire within him, fueling his creative vision? Let's unravel the enigmatic tale of survival, resilience, and the profound influence of adversity on Ülo's artistry.
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| Ülo Sooster (Photo Collection of the Art Museum of Estonia) |
Ülo Sooster was born on 17 October 1924 on the small island of Hiiumaa, Estonia. The family owned a large farm, known as the Pendi Farm, and were quite wealthy by the standards of the time. There was his father, Johannes, his mother, Veera, and Ülo's younger sister Meedi, who was two years his junior. The family kept 10 cows, six horses, and a considerable number of poultry. Unfortunately, when the Soviet government introduced collective farming to Estonia, their animals were taken away, greatly affecting Ülo's grandfather.
The entire family was dubbed the "devil family" by their neighbors, due to a perception that they didn't enjoy working, although this wasn't true. In fact, they all had a passion for art. Ülo's grandfather enjoyed crafting instruments and singing in the choir, while his brother shared similar interests. One was fond of composing music, while the other translated the Bible.
Sooster moved to Tartu to study art at the Pallas Art School. He would return to Hiiumaa for summers, and his arrival was always a significant event for the family. They eagerly anticipated the return of the young, innovative artist, preparing a feast in his honor. The younger members of the family particularly enjoyed his presence, as he was known for his playful sense of humor.
Ülo had little interest in farm work; from a young age, he was consumed by a passion for painting and art. He would often sneak away from his chores to indulge in his artistic pursuits. During his college years, he occupied a room in the family house, located upstairs in the attic. Everyone knew to steer clear of his space, which exuded the scent of paper, cardboard, and oils from his painting materials. Charcoal was one of his preferred mediums; he would burn birch trees to create charcoal for drawing.
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| The island of Hiiumaa is the second largest island in Estonia, on the West Estonian archipelago. |
TARTU AND ART SCHOOL
Tartu had a profound influence on Ülo Sooster. He completed his education at Tartu Art College, which had been reorganized from the Pallas Art School. It was the first Estonian art school to offer higher education in the field. On 26 August 1944, during a street battle, the school was burned down. However, several items and equipment were salvaged from the basement. These were relocated to the Tartu State Art Institute, which later merged with the Estonian Art Institute.
Sooster enrolled in the school in 1945, a period when Tartu was under German occupation. He was drafted into the army and sent to Czechoslovakia for military training, specializing in the evacuation of wounded soldiers from the battlefield. However, Sooster did not find his time in the German army agreeable and subsequently absconded. Upon his return to Tartu, he resumed his studies at the art school until 1949. There's a story that during his daring escape, he met his father at the train station in Haapsalu. They briefly exchanged a few words, and then Ülo gave his father his German boots. This was because the standard Red Army boots were less durable than their German counterparts.
Following his graduation, Sooster relocated to Tallinn, where he established a small studio. However, his time there was brief, as he was arrested by the Soviet police under Article 58 of the Soviet Penal Code, a sweeping law granting the secret police broad powers to detain individuals deemed threatening to the state. This included many prominent figures in the intellectual community, such as artists, writers, scientists, and politicians who deviated from the established norms.
During this period, Sooster associated with various artists and together they formed the progressive "Tartu Artists Circle." They championed modern and liberal ideas drawn from Western art, contrasting sharply with the conservative views prevalent among other Soviet artists.
Between November 1949 and February 1950, the Ministry of State Security Department of the Estonian SSR arrested Sooster and several of his associates, including artists Lembit Saarts, Heldur Viires, Valdur Ohakas, Henn Roode, and Esther Potisepp.
On 15th February 1950, an indictment was issued in Tartu, citing Article 58-1a (treason) and 58-11 (counter-revolutionary activities) of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR. Esther Potisepp was sentenced to 10 years in a correctional labor camp, while Ülo Sooster received a 25-year sentence. However, a few months later, in June 1950, a decision by the Minister of State Security of the USSR led to the reduction of the artists' sentences to 10 years.
Sooster was incarcerated in Osoblag, also known as Special Camp Number 8, in Karaganda, Kazak SSR, commonly referred to as Peschanlag. This facility housed political prisoners, labeled as "enemies of the state." He spent five years there until the camp was disbanded in 1955, after which he was transferred to the Karlag camp in the city of Dolinka.
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| The Pallas Art School, in Tartu, that burned down in 1944 |
The Karaganda region and its correctional camps occupy a significant place in the history of the Soviet Union's Gulag system. Established between 1939 and 1959 under Stalin, this network served as a destination for many intellectuals, cultural figures, and scientists. The area encompassed by the Karlag Gulag system was comparable in size to France. Numerous prisoners, including Ülo Sooster, were sent here with sentences imposed under Article 58, the same provision under which Sooster was incarcerated.
Among the notable figures imprisoned in the Gulag alongside Sooster were Vladimir Sterligov, an iconic artist of the Leningrad underground scene, and Valve Pillesaar, an Estonian poet. For Pillesaar, poetry served as a means of coping with the suffocation and suffering induced by incarceration and the arduous labor in the camps. These influential individuals played a role in shaping Sooster's artistic development and influence.
Despite his imprisonment, Ülo continued to draw. He utilized coals from the fireplace and any available scraps of paper to sketch portraits of fellow inmates. This served as both a creative outlet and a source of income. Prisoners paid for these lifelike drawings, which were sent home to relatives along with letters.
However, the prison authorities disapproved of Ülo's artistic pursuits. Upon discovery, he was subjected to solitary confinement as punishment. Yet, for Sooster, this isolation was not torturous; rather, he found solace in the silence. Returning to the bustling prison quarters, he remarked on the overwhelming noise and crowds. In solitude, he found the opportunity to reflect and contemplate art.
During a routine cell search in Karaganda, a guard stumbled upon some of Sooster's drawings. In a fit of rage, the guard destroyed them and viciously assaulted Ülo, knocking out his front teeth. Despite this brutality, Sooster managed to salvage some of his artwork, concealing it from further harm. From that moment on, he fashioned iron teeth to replace his missing ones, a visible reminder of his determination to preserve his artistic expression amidst adversity.
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| The Museum of Memory of the Victims of Repression in the Dolinka Settlement, Karaganda |
FALLING IN LOVE
While incarcerated in Karaganda, Sooster encountered Lidia Serkh, a fellow inmate. Serkh, a Jewish woman from Moscow and also a political prisoner, worked as a painter in the women's section of the camp. They first crossed paths when Sooster was overseeing an exhibition.
Initially, Serkh didn't have a favorable impression of Ülo. His intense gaze unsettled her, as interaction between men and women was prohibited at the time. She glanced fearfully at the guard. Sooster appeared disheveled, with torn clothes and overgrown hair, yet his piercing blue eyes left an impression on her.
Ülo Sooster instantly fell in love with Lidia at first sight. He sent her drawings and letters, expressing his desire for them to be together. Sooster depicted her from his imagination; before meeting Lidia, he drew women from memory, but afterwards, she became his sole muse.
Serkh was released from the Gulag in early 1956 but was forbidden to return to Moscow. Around the same time, Sooster was temporarily released from the Dolinka camp and rented a room nearby. They married, despite concerns about their union from Sooster's parents. However, little resistance was met from them, partly due to Lidia's Jewish heritage. "At least she is not Russian," they remarked.
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| Lidia Serkh, drawn from Sooster's memory |
After his release, Sooster returned to Hiiumaa with his young wife. Due to Stalinism and the continued strength of the USSR in Estonia, he wasn't permitted to settle in Tartu or Tallinn due to his criminal past. The young family then relocated to Moscow, where Sooster took whatever work he could find. It was a challenging start for the couple, especially after their son was born in 1957. Sooster faced difficulties in securing employment due to his time in the Gulags.
After working odd jobs, Sooster approached publisher Yuri Sobolev for employment, a crucial connection as he had no other acquaintances in Moscow. Sobolev, aspiring to lead a lavish lifestyle and become a pillar of the Moscow art scene, frequented the local artists' café with Sooster. There, they attempted to reserve a table they could visit several times a week, engaging in day-long discussions with fellow artists and sketching portraits of each other.
Meanwhile, Lidia hosted gatherings at their home, drawing prominent artists, writers, and poets together to discuss art and socialize over herring and vodka. Through these gatherings, Sooster carved out his own niche within the Moscow art scene, while also securing a job creating illustrations for magazines and books alongside Sobolev.
In his spare time, Ülo explored modern and abstract art through his drawings and paintings. However, exhibiting such works in the Soviet Union proved challenging, as they often diverged from the politically aligned art favored by many artists who depicted Soviet buildings and themes.
Sooster applied to join the Artists' Union, a crucial step in Soviet Russia for gaining recognition and protection as an artist. However, the union's board rejected both Sooster and his painting, a modern interpretation of juniper trees, portrayed as egg shapes against a background. They dismissed it as mere "training material" and urged him to leave. In 1962, at the Manege exhibition, Sooster and several fellow artists managed to exhibit their work despite lacking Union membership. This action angered the Union Board, leading them to accuse Sooster and his artistic circle of being bourgeois agents to Nikita Khrushchev. Khrushchev, incensed by the accusation, threatened to send them to the Gulags or have them executed. Despite these threats, no action was taken against them.
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| Nikita Khrushchev at the Manege Exhibit, 1962 |
In 1963, the KGB initiated an investigation into Sooster. They opened a top secret file on him and rifled through his life, art and connections.
During this period, he delved into the study of metaphysics, incorporating its themes into his art. Despite the repressive laws of the Soviet Union, Sooster's spirit remained unbroken, according to his friends and relatives. He lived with the mindset of a free man, pushing artistic boundaries and adopting an attitude of living in the present without concern for tomorrow. Unlike many others of his time, Sooster was never crushed by the system.
In Moscow, Sooster shared several studios with the renowned Russian artist Ilya Kabakov. They frequently relocated due to fear of scrutiny from the State Secret Services, often being evicted by landlords. Eventually, they found a suitable studio, initially cluttered and located in a basement, but after redecorating and cleaning, it became ideal.
During his marriage to Lidia, Sooster painted various women, often engaging in affairs with them. Despite being aware of this, Lidia tolerated his behavior, understanding the type of man her husband was. Sooster struggled with alcoholism and moodiness, feeling misunderstood by those around him. He sought the unattainable, experimenting with various activities to capture the essence of pleasure and human emotions in his art.
Ülo spent more time at the studio than at home with his family. He and Lidia agreed that he would visit home every Wednesday and Saturday to spend time with their son, Tenno-Pent Sooster. However, one Saturday, he failed to return. Lidia became frantic, calling friends to report his absence. Eventually, they broke into his studio and discovered Ülo Sooster dead from a ruptured heart. He was cremated in Moscow but buried in Estonia at the Metsakalmistu Cemetery in Tallinn.
CONCLUSION
Despite facing oppression and the threat of the Gulag, Ülo's dedication to art persisted. Emerging from adversity, he was not defeated but strengthened, his artistic vision sharpened by his struggles. Ülo's story highlights the power of creativity in challenging times. His art served as both expression and inspiration, shedding light on the resilience of the human spirit in the face of tyranny.
References:
- Baltic Film Production OÜ: Ülo Sooster. The Man Who Dried A Towel In The Wind
- Exhibition “Ülo Sooster: Prison and Love” at the Estonian History Museum’s Great Guild Hall
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