Herald Eelma

Herald Eelma (born 26 March 1934) is an Estonian printmaker, book illustrator and art educator. He is regarded as one of the artists who renewed Estonian printmaking in the 1960s and 1970s and, together with Peeter Ulas, as a representative of the Estonian variant of the severe style. He is especially known for his illustrations for editions of A. H. Tammsaare's Truth and Justice and the Kalevala.

Early life and education Eelma was born in Võhmuta in Järva County.

Career and work After graduating, Eelma taught watercolour at the Estonian State Art Institute from 1960 to 1962 and then worked as a freelance artist until 1992.

In 1972 Eelma was one of seven artists from Soviet Estonia included in Printmaking Today, a satellite exhibition of the 36th Venice Biennale at Ca' Pesaro. Art-historical scholarship has described that appearance as an unusual and important international presentation of Estonian printmaking during the Soviet period. Works from his Kalevala cycle are held in the collection of the Art Museum of Estonia.

Eelma remained active into the 21st century. In 2014 he presented the retrospective exhibition Aeg in Tallinn, and in 2019 a survey exhibition, Avatud värav, opened at Endla Theatre Gallery in Pärnu. He also received the Kristjan Raud Art Award in 1981 and 1986, the Jaan Jensen Prize in 1982 and 1986, and the Order of the White Star, 4th Class, in 1999. In 2014 he was named Graphic Artist of the Year by the Association of Estonian Printmakers.

Selected illustrated books Tõde ja õigus (illustrated editions, 1964–1969) Kalevala lood (1981) Põhja konn (1981) Kalevala (1985) Kalevalan kuvat (1987)