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1

INTERPRETATION OF ART IN THE CONTEXT OF AUTHORITARIANISM: FACTOR OF THE YEAR 1934 (Makslas interpretacija un autoritarisma konteksts: 1934. gada faktors)

100%
Pelse S.
Materiali Latvijas makslas vesturei
|
2006
|
vol. 5
127-133
EN
Political factors are surely important in regard to division into periods of Latvian thinking on art. So far the establishment of the authoritarian regime on 15 May 1934 has been either demonized as the onset of 'fascism' or explained away as a logical outcome of society's development supported by the people. This article, however, is not focused on processes and events in the art life and related institutions but on theoretically minded reflections on art. The most obvious influence of authoritarianism relates to certain elements of censorship - after 1934 leftist writers' opinions disappeared from books and periodicals, significantly reducing the spectrum of art-theoretical ideas. Another aspect is the emphasis on Latvian national art as a deliberate program. Still the suggested stylistic premises were very vague, ranging from ethnographic heritage to the ideals of classical European art. One of the current topics was derived from Oswald Spengler's opposition between civilization and culture, conceiving of Latvian art as a part of 'fresh' and powerful culture in contrast to the civilization of 'old' European countries, Still it is not easy to answer to what an extent the ideas on art's essence and functions had been modified by the political climate change, Political engagement seems to be inversely proportional to the author's specific competence in the field of visual arts. In many cases no certain change can be detected, especially if the author's position differed from the official ideology of Latvianness. One should note that negative attitudes towards avant-garde experiments as a means of leftist propaganda appeared already in the 1920s, as in the sculptor Gustavs Skilters' remarks on deformation and anarchy not being the only creative powers: 'It's time to dismiss these ghosts of revolution from our art and establish a healthy national trend based on serious work.' This trend of thinking on art can be broadly named traditionalist; art was mostly conceived along pragmatist-instrumentalist lines as a promoter of truth, religion, morality but first of all - Latvianness. This model was closely intertwined with various modifications of the ancient mimetic theory, interpreting art as a direct or variously 'perfected' or 'recreated' representation of nature.
2

URBAN AND RURAL ISSUES IN LATVIAN THINKING ON ART OF THE INTER-WAR PERIOD (Pilsetas un lauku motivi latviesu makslas izvertejumos starpkaru perioda)

100%
Pelse S.
Materiali Latvijas makslas vesturei
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2007
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vol. 6
189-194
EN
Urban culture in Latvia has a comparatively short history and is most related to non-Latvian groups, so the connection between national and rural elements have often interested Latvian writers on art. The peasant nation's peculiar world outlook dominated often nationalist-type art history texts. In the Soviet period the peasant culture could be approved as democratic and pertaining to the simple folk; recourses to peasant mentality still resurface in recent studies as well. The origins of Latvian art in the latter half of the 19th century coincided with the dominance of Realism; also most of artists were of countryside origin. The article largely focuses on pieces of theory and criticism, discussing whether urban environment should or could provide motifs for artists and advance (national) creativity. The spectrum of answers is rather diverse and changing, but one can single out the rather leftist modernists'idea of the city as a topical subject allowing for art to reflect the contemporary life, and more traditional authors'interest in the countryside as the true cradle of national specificity. The artist Niklavs Strunke in his passionate manifestoes of the late 1910s promoted the new art and emphasised the architectonic simplicity of street noises and automobile movement, also the writer Andrejs Kurcijs in his theory of Activism spoke about urban themes as a sign of new, contemporary Romanticism. A peculiar and contradictory view of the problems of modernity was proposed by the folklorist Ernests Brastins who synthesised a passeist idealisation of ancient Latvian society and almost Futurist excitement about technological advances. If opinions voiced in the early 1920s contained at least partly optimistic views on the urban development, gradually the city became interpreted as a threat to a truly national creativity, especially after the local authoritarian regime replaced parliamentary democracy in 1934.
3

RELATIONSHIPS OF ART AND RELIGION IN LATVIAN WRITING ON ART IN THE 1ST HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY (Makslas un religijas attiecibu aspekti latviesu autoru teoretiskajas atzinas 20. gs. pirmaja puse)

86%
Pelse S.
Materiali Latvijas makslas vesturei
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2008
|
vol. 7
155-165
EN
Relationships, connections and contradictions concerning art and religion create a broad field of research focused on the gradual emancipation of various spheres of human activity (science, philosophy, history, art) from the medieval subservient status in respect to religion. The official doctrine of the Soviet period was overtly atheistic, criticising 'religious mysticism' of Latvian artwriting of the interwar period, easily fusing this component with other misguided traits, like bourgeois nationalism, idealism and fascist ideology. In fact, the scattered reflections on art and religion contain both attempts to identify and distinguish these spheres as well as different ideas as to what forms are suitable for expression of a religious message. Unlike in the neighbouring Catholic Lithuania, Christian religion was not so deep-seated in Latvian culture; interpretations of culture and art from the viewpoint of natural sciences, Marxism and Leo Tolstoy's apology of art's usefulness grew more prominent in the early 20th century. Still echoes of neo-romanticist symbolism and aestheticism, treating art as a kind of religion of the present can be viewed in this context, most clearly expressed in the so-called decadent manifesto of 1906. The most developed reflections on this subject are found in Latvian artist and theoretician Teodors Uders' letters where he reflected on the existence of God, finding Benedict Spinoza's pantheism most adequate to his own intuitions. The subject of art and religion increased in importance in 1920s and especially 1930s, responding to the current need for ideological consolidation. The common stance was rather negative towards the traditional Christianity and church as an institution - art should in principle be akin to religion but not in the sense of a traditional sacred art, rather extolling some ideal authority and meaningful message. Three points of intersection between art and religion can be detected in this period. Firstly, these are influences received by art historians, philosophers etc.; secondly, the impact of Theosophy; thirdly, promotion of Latvian national religion dievturiba (God Keeping or God Worshipping).
4

CONTENT AND FORM IN LATVIAN ART THEORY IN THE FIRST THIRD OF THE 20TH CENTURY (Satura un formas attiecibu traktejums latviesu makslas teorija 20. gs. pirmaja tresdala)

72%
Pelse S.
Makslas Vesture un Teorija
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2006
|
vol. 5
31-35
EN
The idea of content and form being two separate components of the artistic image is a rather ancient legacy of European art theory. The origins of the notion of form can be found in classical sources; in a simplified way, content is what the artwork is 'about' and form relates to 'how' this content is made manifest. As noted by the Polish aesthetician Wladyslaw Tatarkiewicz, form can have at least five meanings. Form as opposed to content is only one possible reading; another no less important sense is the interpretation of form as the relationships of parts and their proportions. In the local art-theoretical material both the above-mentioned senses of form (form as style and form as relationships of parts) are largely blended together, speaking at the same time about perceptible formal qualities and the modes of their arrangement. Early 20th century theoretical thought is largely concerned with lessening the significance of content in art, especially 'significant' content as promoted by the academic tradition. It was replaced by everyday subjects considered equally significant by artists who stressed form as embodying the unique vision of the individual. From a Marxist viewpoint, symbolism was termed formalist although it is rather content-based in the context of other 20th century trends. In the early 1920s, when an open clash broke out between the 'old' academic art and the Riga Artists' Group, young artists tended to stress the importance of form, seemingly diminishing the role of content. The local scene was typified by the search for a midway between 'traditional' and radically innovative form, denouncing both the imitation of nature by 'old means' and 'contemporary' form lacking any deeper content.
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