A Scene of Birch River
2009.12.03
Born in 1909, Estonia, Saarniit studied commercial and fine arts at the State School of Art in Tallinn. After graduating in 1932, he continued his studies and received his diploma in 1939, to become a Master of Decorative Painting. Saarniit fled from Estonia to Finland to escape the Russian invasion during World War 2. Saarniit then began painting memories from his experiences of the war. One of the 347 passengers on the ship Walnut, Saarniit came from Sweden to Halifax in 1948. He organized the first permanent art collection for the Estonian House in Toronto. John Saarniit passed away in Toronto, 1984.