Painter Janis Rozentāls and his Riga. 155th Anniversary of the Master / Article / LSM.lv

On March 18, the 155th anniversary of the artist Janis Rozentāls celebrates. In honor of this, Janis Rozentāls and Rūdolfs Blaumanis Museum invites to online lecture “Rozentāla Rīga”. The head of the museum Dace Vosa reveals that Riga was especially important for Janis Rozentāls – he was enthusiastic about the bustle of the city, after studies he led an active life of exhibitions and public activities. After all, it was in Riga that he met his beloved – the Finnish singer Ellie Forsel. –

Dace Vosa tells in the Latvian Radio program “Kultūras Rondo” that the topic “Rozentāla Rīga” opens up a wide range of research opportunities. The original intention of the museum staff was to lead a tour of various places related to Rosenthal in Riga. “There are a lot of such places and the stories related to them are very interesting. In this situation, when we are all very isolated from each other, we decided to transform this idea and offer it in the form of a remote lecture, allowing to walk the Riga of Rosenthal’s time, [..] trying to see Riga with the eyes with which Janis Rozentāls saw it, ”says the head of the museum. At the moment, everyone has to go for a walk individually, but the museologists hope that in the future they will be able to show Rozentāls Riga themselves.

Vosa points out that Riga has been a very dear, expensive and bustling city for the artist. He was especially close to port life. As a teenage boy, Rosenthal was also involved in it, ie he applied to work on a ship. Only by coincidence has Rosenthal remained in Riga. He had arrived at the port on the day to board the ship, but had returned without him.

Continuing the narration, the head of the museum outlines the Riga that Rozentāls experiences: “At that time, the fortification system of Riga was recently demolished. Riga is expanding very fast – at speeds that the city has never experienced before. Very active construction is underway. Countless stone houses are now being built in the suburbs, where previously only wooden buildings could be built.

Rozentals sees it all – this extraordinary dynamics, anxiety of Riga and at the same time the nice and cozy life of Riga, which takes place in various entertainment places. He goes to green balls on Dole Island, Šampēteri and, of course, is also present at the Riga Latvian Society for more serious events. ”

Rozentāls, as Dace Vosa explains, had several “Riga periods”. After the first he went to study in St. Petersburg. Returning to Latvia, he initially stayed in his native Saldus. In time, he came to Riga again – the center of Latvian cultural life. Vosa assesses that the second stage of Riga’s life in Janis Rozentāls’ life is related to “more serious, more extensive activities in the field of art, active exhibitions, public activities in various art societies, participation in magazine editions, many commissioned works.” During this time, the artist gets acquainted with the Finnish singer Elli Forssell in Riga. On March 5, 1903, the two married.

Asked whether Saldus is equally important to Riga in Rozentāls’ life, Vosa says: “I think Saldus is equal, it’s just different. Saldus – these are his roots. Riga – there is the current life he lives. ” Saldus and Riga are by no means the only places that are important for an artist. Invaluable experience gained in the already mentioned study city of St. Petersburg. Rozentāls’ wife’s homeland, Finland, is also becoming an important place for him. In Finland, Rosenthal spends the last stage of his life.

The head of the museum adds: “Rosenthal has certainly not been a one-sided personality, nor have the important places of his life been one-sided.”

In commemoration of the artist on his 155th birthday, it is worth taking a look at the “Culture Rondo” cycle created in 2016 “Ten paintings by Rosenthal”.

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