Eduard Ole was an Estonian painter born on May 20, 1898, in Kaagjärve, Estonia. He studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, Russia from 1914 to 1918 and became influenced by German Expressionism. After returning to Estonia in 1918, he worked as a theatre designer and teacher of drawing. Ole was part of the Eesti Kunstnikkude Rühm (Grouping of Estonian Artists) and later shifted towards a more realistic style. He fled during World War II, first to Finland and then to Sweden, where he lived until his death on November 24, 1995.