[FR] The Baltic countries, so far away, yet so close

The Musée d’Orsay is currently presenting, as part of the exhibition ‘Wild Souls: Symbolism in the Baltic States’, works by Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, Oskar Kallis, Janis Rozentals, Ferdynand Ruszczyc, and others. These Baltic Symbolist artists from the period 1890-1930 remain little known in France, yet they were major vectors of the patriotic fervour and identity building that these countries experienced from the end of the 19th century to their independence at the end of the First World War.

This exhibition is first and foremost an opportunity for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to come together, the last such event being their pavilion at the 1937 International Exhibition of Arts and Technology in Paris. It is therefore a celebration of Baltic identity, often overlooked yet deeply rooted in the European landscape, as Gustav Suits, the great Estonian poet quoted by Emmanuel Macron in his speech at the exhibition’s opening, stated back in 1905: ‘Let us be Estonians, but let us also become Europeans.’

Europe was indeed a source of inspiration for Baltic symbolists, but Baltic culture did not become a mere amalgamation of European influences. On the contrary, these painters were part of an artistic movement that was present throughout Europe and were open to the continent, while retaining their great originality by celebrating their land, their myths and legends, and their folklore. Symbolism, which spread throughout Europe from the 1890s onwards and later in the Baltic countries, is characterised by the presence of elements linked to dreams, the supernatural and myth. Baltic symbolists painted their national mythology, depicting the exploits of legendary heroes such as Kalevipoeg, who single-handedly defeated hundreds of warriors. The figurative representation of legends long rooted in the minds of the Baltic peoples thus allowed a sense of national identity to blossom. Thanks to lively exchanges between these artists and other European painters, even before 1918, Baltic symbolism became firmly established in European culture and conveyed common artistic aspirations that went beyond the material: the desire for freedom, the search for meaning, anxiety about the future, and the emancipation of consciousness.

The exhibition ‘Wild Souls: Symbolism in the Baltic States’ allows visitors to discover a poetic and evocative art form, drawing on Baltic myths but whose evocations often recall that period of accelerated history that was the transition between the 19th and 20th centuries, common to all European countries.