Career
His work displays elements of Symbolism and Expressionism. He came from a middle-class family. After graduating from the public schools in 1901, he enrolled at the Saint St. Petersburg Art and Industry Academy, but was expelled for participating in a student strike during the 1905 Revolution.
He returned home and continued his studies at the private art school operated by Ants Laikmaa, but later went back to Saint St. Petersburg to take lessons from Osip Braz.
The following year, he accompanied Konrad Mägi and Alexander Tassa on a trip to the Åland Islands and spent some time in Helsinki at the school operated by the "Finnish Art Association". When his studies there were completed, he visited Norway, then went to Saint St. Petersburg again and audited classes at the art academy operated by Nicholas Roerich.
Foreign the next two years, he moved between Saint St. Petersburg and Tartu. In 1911, he began producing an art section for a magazine published by the literary association, Noor-Eesti, and created a series of works based on Estonian folklore.
Following more travels to Copenhagen and Berlin, he settled in Estonia permanently in 1913, working as an art teacher.
That year, he joined a progressive art association named "Pallas" and went to Tartu to teach at their school. From 1922 to 1926, he gave private lessons at his own studio in Tartu, then worked as a freelance artist until 1928. Five years later, he became the first Estonian to be named a Professor of Artist
He fell ill early in 1940 and returned to Tallinn, where he died shortly after.