Artwork

Grosvalds Jazeps

Jazeps Grosvalds (born on April 24, 1891 in Riga, died on February 1, 1920 in Paris) - Painter.

One of the pioneers of Modernism in Latvian painting, he successfully blended European and national impulses in his entire artistic work. A student of S. Hollosy's school in Munich (1909 - 1910). In 1910, he went to Paris, where he accumulated artistic experience until 1914 in several private academies, maintained contacts with Kees Van Dongen, Ch. Guerin, La Palette cubist school and others, obtained a wealth of information on classic and contemporary European art. In addition to French modern art (Paul Cezanne, Andre Derain), Grosvalds took great interest in the old masters. His personal style is distinguished by an abstract manner of representation, formal synthesis and simplification, as well as a conditional palette. In 1914, after return to Riga, together with K. Ubans, V. Tone and A. Drevins, Grosvalds set up the artists' circle "Zala puke" (Green Flower), which later transformed into Expressionists' Group and then into the Riga Artists Group. As a portraitist, Grosvalds was among those young Latvian artists who initiated a new theme in Latvian art by portraying war refugees and riflemen. When World War I broke out, Grosvalds joined the active service and painted war scenes (The Refugees, 1915 - 1917, and Latvian Riflemen, 1916 - 1917, series). In the capacity of a Russian officer, Grosvalds joined the British Expeditionary Group and traveled to the Near East in 1917. Impressions were documented in the Oriental Series (1918 - 1919) and the Tableaux- Persans essay. After demobilization, Grosvalds served as an employee at the Embassy of Latvia in Paris.

References: Art and Architecture. Biographies, Riga, 1995; B. Vipers. Jazeps Grosvalds. Riga, 1938; J. Grosvalds. Persian Scenes. Stockholm, 1978; J. Silins. Latvian Art in 1800 - 1914, I. Stockholm, 1988; J. Soikans. Jazeps Grosvalds // Latvju Maksla, 1971, No. 3; E. Klavins. A Century-Old Jazeps Grosvalds // Diena newspaper, April 27 and May 2, 1991.