ENE SYVE FALKENBERG. Portrait of a woman, oil on canvas, signed, dated 1944.

Ene Syve-Falkenberg, born as Zoja Falkenberg on November 2, 1914 in Pskov and deceased on March 10, 2003 in Toronto, was an Estonian-Canadian artist, primarily active in painting and sculpture. She studied between 1936 and 1938 at the reputable art school Pallas in Tartu, but did not complete her education there. Between 1938 and 1941, she continued her studies at the Riigi Kõrgem Kunstikool (State Art School) in Tallinn. Even before World War II, she established herself as an exhibiting artist in Estonia.

In connection with the end of the war, she first fled to Sweden via Finland in 1944, and later emigrated to Canada, where she became an important figure within the European exile artist circle. Falkenberg was one of the founders of the Colour and Form Society in 1952. Between 1963 and 1993, she resided and operated in Vancouver. Among other things, she participated in high-profile group exhibitions with Baltic artists at Värmland Museum in 1945 and Liljevalchs konsthall in 1946. Her artistry mainly includes portraits, figure motifs and landscape painting. Some of her works are today represented in the art collection of the Estonian National Library in Tallinn. During life she used several names, including Ene Süve, Ene Bruce, Ene Mänd, Ene Crumley and Ene Syve-Falkenberg.

In this work from 1944 (the year she arrived in Sweden), a nude female model appears in a seated position, rendered with both technical precision and expressive freedom. The composition is asymmetrical and dynamic — the body rests heavily against the ground, with one leg raised and the arm supported behind the back. The gaze is turned away, which gives the subject a sense of introspection and quiet presence.

Image of the artist borrowed from http://entsyklopeedia.ee/.

Frame dimensions: 40 x 35 cm.