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JANIS ROZENTALS' ALTARPIECES (Jana Rozentala altargleznas)

100%

Pujate I.

Materiali Latvijas makslas vesturei

2008

vol. 7

137-146

The versatile painter and graphic artist Janis Rozentals (1866-1916) has made a significant contribution to the sacred art of Latvia. In his altarpieces, in line with the early 20th century artistic trends, the painter has subjectively interpreted the life of Christ and enriched the handling of form. A large number of sketches and preliminary drawings as well as models' photographs have survived, allowing to trace the artist's creative thought, versions of themes and interpretations, and reflecting the labour-consuming creation of Christ's, St. Mary's, disciples' and the simple folk's imagery. Still the artist's search for new expressiveness was not always approved, and Rozentals in his letter to the Stende pastor Karl Adolf Glazer deals with the significance of altarpieces in Latvian Lutheran churches and delineates these problems. In 1897 the artist completed the pastor Janis Osis' commission of altarpiece for the Kronau Church in the Province of Kherson, Ukraine. The surviving photograph allows assuming that the chosen topic is 'Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane'. Rozentals had intended to paint his first altarpiece in Latvia for the reconstructed Saldus Lutheran Church, but his proposal was turned down. In 1935 Jelgava Town Council had bought it for the decoration of hospital, but in 1947 the work 'Christ and the Samaritan Woman' was placed in a church - in the small hall of Jelgava St. Ann's Church. Many versions of the composition reflect the artist's experimentation with the main characters' psychological traits. The Latvian National Museum of Art owes a sketch for the altarpiece on the subject 'Christ Walking upon Water' (Navicella) created about 1902. Possibly it was intended for the Christ the Saviour's Church in St. Petersburg where the Latvian congregation existed. In summer 1903 Rozentals altarpiece 'The Ascension of Christ' was unveiled in Stende Church. The initial plan was to depict this event in a four-part composition, but in the last version only the central part with Christ's image was preserved. For the New St. Gertrude's Church Rozentals painted the altarpiece 'Let the Little Children Come to Me' (1908-1911). This work features influences of both the German artist Fritz (Friedrich) von Uhde and the Finnish artist Albert Edelfelt.

ACCOMPLISHMENT OF ART NOUVEAU AESTHETIC PRINCIPLES IN THE JOURNAL 'VEROTAJS' ('OBSERVER') (Jugendstila estetisko principu istenojums zurnala 'Verotajs')

63%

Pujate I.

Materiali Latvijas makslas vesturei

2003

vol. 3

The Latvian literary journal 'Verotajs' ('Observer') that brought about qualitative changes in the graphic design of periodicals was published from 1903 till 1905. 'Verotajs' introduced the Art Nouveau style that developed to the full extent in the almanac 'Zalktis' ('Grass-Snake') some years later. At the same time the new journal announced the outset of national style in the design of local periodicals. Latvian artists started to draw original vignettes for each particular journal to replace standardized, imported ones. The journal's design shows Art Nouveau aesthetic principles: creation of a unified artistic whole, predomination of nature motifs and curved, fluent linear rhythms, correspondence between the emotional moods of the miniature work and the literary text. The artist Janis Rozentals had an important role in this development. He made vignettes for each chapter, thus creating a certain systematic arrangement that helped readers to orient themselves. It is likely that the routine arrangement of text and illustrations was changed after Rozentals' suggestion. The new page layout contained one column that was more distanced from margins and the space between lines was increased. The artist Julijs Madernieks made the greatest number of vignettes. He was mostly inspired by nature and ornament interpreted according to Art Nouveau patterns. Some landscape-like vignettes were made by the artist Vilhelms Purvitis. They feature Art Nouveau decorative stylisation and Symbolist mood. Eduards Brencens followed Purvitis' ascetic trend, but his works show more emphasis on white surface. There are also vignettes by Rihards Zarins and Oskars Steinbergs in the journal. Some of vignette designers for 'Verotajs' are still unknown. It is possible to suppose that ten works signed 'MP' were created by the cabinet-maker Martins Pagasts who was popular in Riga at the turn of the 20th century. One vignette was possibly drawn by Indrikis Zeberins.

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2 Materiali Latvijas makslas vesturei

1 2008

1 2003

2 Pujate I.

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JANIS ROZENTALS' ALTARPIECES (Jana Rozentala altargleznas)

ACCOMPLISHMENT OF ART NOUVEAU AESTHETIC PRINCIPLES IN THE JOURNAL 'VEROTAJS' ('OBSERVER') (Jugendstila estetisko principu istenojums zurnala 'Verotajs')