Latvia, WOW!

Self–portrait (2014) by Ilze Libiete

I believe this statement by Mark Rothko, the celebrated abstract expressionist, is the right epigraph for the Imago Mundi collection dedicated to Latvia. It expresses the value of art as communication with the viewer: from start to finish each work is entrusted to the attention of the visitor, who is invited to fully enter into the spirit of the work. And also because Mark Rothko, born Markus Rotkowičs, was Latvian, from Daugavpils, a city in the historical region of Latgale in the southeast of the country he left with his family in 1913 to move to America.

The castle under the sea (2014) by Janis Spalvins

The Mark Rothko Art Centre, which opened in Daugavpils in 2013, is located in the former Artillery Arsenal built in 1810 by the Russian Emperor Alexander I with the aim of strengthening the western borders of the Russian Empire. Today it houses a collection of paintings by Rothko, and, through exhibitions, workshops, conferences and residences, represents the artistic spirit of Latvia and, in general, Latvia’s openness to the future, in full respect of its tradition and past.

Walk (2014) by Daila Iltnere

The eighteenth country to join the Eurozone, at the beginning of 2014, Latvia looks ahead with one of the best growth rates among the European economies. Having overcome the crisis of the past few years, the country looks with confidence toward integration in the Euro, drawing strength from its strategic geographical position between Russia and the markets of Central and Western Europe, just as the “Amber Road” once carried the traders of the precious Latvian mineral from the Baltic to the Mediterranean.

Eurohorse (2014) by Ivars Heinrihsons

The past, which has left its mark on the beautiful historical city centre that became a World Heritage Site in 1997 thanks to its more than 800 Art Nouveau buildings and nineteenth century wooden architecture, interacts with the modern city, whose symbol is the Gaismas Pils with its sinuous lines and glass facades that reflect the late afternoon sun on the waters of the Daugava river. This Castle of Light, designed by the Latvian–American architect Gunnar Birkerts, is home to the new National Library.

ensitive (2014) by Lasma Pujate

The more than 200 10x12cm works in the Imago Mundi collection bear witness to the extraordinary cultural vitality of Latvia, which also counts among its illustrious sons Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein. Born in Riga at the end of the nineteenth century, this director, screenwriter, editor, writer, film producer and stage designer, was revolutionary in his innovative use of montage and the formal composition of the image, directing masterpieces of cinematic history like “Battleship Potemkin”.

Crucifix (2014) by Helena Heinrihsone

The Latvian artists today are in their own way playing the card of visual innovation, with landscapes and human figures, desires and estrangements, lyricism and expressionism, irony and illusion, bright colours and chiaroscuros, emotion and the human condition. Let’s look at these works and allow them to open a line of communication between us, the artist and the painting: to excite us, move us, even irritate us. Whatever it takes to nudge us away from clichés and prejudices.