Vienmēr tikai uz priekšu! Eduarda Kalniņa veidošanās periods un Romas stipendija
Always Forward! Eduards Kalniņš' Creative Development and Rome Scholarship

Summary/Abstract: The article deals with the creative career of the famous Latvian painter Eduards Kalniņš (1904-1988), focusing on the inter-war period and studies in Italy. Kalniņš, born and grown up in Riga, could simply and elegantly speak with both highly educated people and fishermen, peasants and simple vagrants. He had enough diplomatic wisdom to avoid repressions regardless of the state power. His human capacities, infallible sense of superior power and its entrapments, and keeping silent when necessary were obviously decisive. Kalniņš' single hired posItion was closely connected with painnting - it was instructor's work at the Latvian Academy of Art. In 1945 he became instructor at the Academy's Painting Department and all the rest of his life was involved in pedagogical work, training almost all students at the Easel Painting Studio in the 1950s-1970s. During the last eight years he was academician of the USSR Academy of Art, holding his master studio in Riga where several talented painters have perfected their skills. During the early period of his career his wide interests included almost all genres of painting - portrait, figure scenes, still lifes, landscapes, seascapes. Still he was first of all disciple of the Professor Vilhelms Purvltis' Landscape Painting Studio, and profound image of nature was an equivalent, characterising component of his figural paintings. Already at the Academy Kalniņš was noted by his subtle grey colouring complemented with brighter accents. Alongside smooth paintings with some loosened spots, he used thick brushwork, a little nervous and imbalanced painting. The main emphasis was placed upon lights and shades, tonal diversity, revelation of materiality, and this period could be also described as maturing of substances, textures and moods. In 1934 the so-called Rome Foundation Scholarship competition was established, activating the young generation of artists. Latvian-born General Director of the Emden concern in Hamburg Max Levin's donation to Academy in 1925 stated that profit from accumulated interest should be used to some artist's stay in Italy for one year. Kalniņš submitted the competition work "Raftsmen" and gained a victory over 23 candidates. "Raftsmen" concluded an entire epoch in his career. Formation period was over and the artist had entered his mature stage. The national subjec "Raftsmen" may be derived from the elaborated Dutch traditions and corresponded to Latvian mentality and national patriotism of the late 1930s. In August 1935 Eduards Kalniņš went for one year of studies to Italy.

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