Exhibition of Zemgale Artist Aleksandar Roman’s Unexhibited Paintings at Gederts Elias Jelgava Museum of History and Art

An exhibition of works by Zemgale artist Aleksandar Roman will be opened in the museum

On October 12, at 4 p.m., the exhibition “Klusais Zemgale artist Aleksandrs Romans (1878–1911)” will be opened at the Gederts Elias Jelgava Museum of History and Art – the exhibition will feature previously unexhibited paintings by the artist from the private collection of a relative. At the same time, at the opening of the event, the experienced art scholar Edvarda Šmite will introduce the course of the artist’s life, including his attraction to Jelgava.

A.Romans is one of the few true Zemgalians who painted landscapes and portraits. The course of his life lasted only 33 years. After completing seven years of studies, he had another six years, which were spent finding his way in art and at the same time earning a living. The artist used to create works that sometimes come to the fore, describing a significant phenomenon in the history of our art. Namely, the cover of the book about the era of symbolism in Latvian art is decorated with his painting “Landscape with a rider” (1910). No less popular is the diploma work “Day of Consecration” (1904), and in all reflections on the portrait in our art, A. Romana’s “The Smiling Girl” (1904), which currently complements the exposition of the Latvian National Art Museum, has never been forgotten.

Marija Kaupere, deputy director of the G. Elias Jelgava Museum of History and Art, says that two world wars and the occupation of Latvia have not been favorable to the preservation of the artist’s works, however, currently, thanks to one of the artist’s relatives, 17 previously unexhibited paintings from a private collection will be on display in the museum. It depicts the landscapes of Zemgale in the artist’s characteristic style.

M. Kaupere points out that it was possible to learn more about the course of the artist’s life – work, personality, challenges and achievements in the context of the era – thanks to the monograph “Aleksandrs Roman. The Road to the Far Castle”. “This rich and interesting insight into the artist’s life, even after more than 100 years, reveals new facts and events to us. Among them, also about the connection of the artist with Jelgava. How A.Romans studied at the Jelgava gymnasium in the “Academia Petrina” building, during his studies he painted his diploma work in the workshop of Johan Walters in Jelgava and also spent the last years of his life here, teaching at the Priedes gymnasium,” said M.Kaupere, emphasizing: the visit of the erudite art scholar E.Šmite during the event has a high added value, so those interested are invited to take advantage of the opportunity and learn about the artist’s life firsthand.

It should be noted that the exhibition at the G. Elias Museum of History and Art will be on display until December 3. The museum’s working hours and entrance ticket prices can be found on the website www.jvmm.lv.

2023-10-10 14:48:06
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