After the Art Academy, Jānis Gunārs Kalnmalis worked for many years at the combine “Māksla” as a creative artist, creating monumental decorative wall and exterior wall paintings for Latvian cities, as well as books and applied graphics. Since 1967, Jānis Gunārs Kalnmalis has participated in exhibitions, and since 1979 he has been a member of the Artists’ Union of Latvia.
The artist’s personal exhibitions have been held in many Latvian cities, as well as in Finland, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Luxembourg, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and his works can be found in the Latvian National Art Museum, Latvian and Russian Artists’ Union funds, as well as in several private collections in Europe, America and Australia. .
In 2019, when opening the exhibition of Jānis Gunārs Kalnmalis in Liepāja, the art scholar Ingrīda Burāne said: “The artist Jānis Gunārs Kalnmalis has defined his place in Latvian painting through persistent and hard work. As today, so in the future. This is ensured by his talent, mastery gained through experience and the ability to constantly explore and expand the boundaries of artistic expression. In contemporary Latvian painting, Jānis Gunārs Kalnmalis is one of the few who deliberately works in nature, purposefully reproduces emotional visions, moods in a generalized art image. The most important thing in the moments stopped in non-standard formats is the way in which the artist talks about the unit of time and space. The application of paint, plasticity, rhythmicity, punctuality, solutions, diffusions, thickenings create that unrepeatable moment of the presence of personality, which defines the look of professionalism.”
The other love of Jānis Gunāras Kalnmālis was his wife Biruta, with whom he lived together for almost 50 years. Travel and the spirit of adventure have been two of the elements that have shaped this enduring union. The renovated house in Aizpute, where the artist’s workshop was located, is a cherished item carefully cared for and designed by the two, in which, in addition to the collection of paintings, you can find a rich selection of art books and fine coffee cups.
As an active traveler, the artist captured the places where he stayed in his paintings. Special relations have connected the artist with Marrakesh in Morocco, Brussels in Belgium, Hamburg in Germany, as well as with several cities in Finland. He captured the impressions and emotions gained during his travels in gorgeous, expressive paintings. It is plein air painting that has always generated interest, especially outside the borders of Latvia, providing an opportunity to both meet like-minded people and present your work. His works stand out and are remembered for their emotionality and mood.
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A garden lit by the sun – that’s the name given to the exhibition of Jānis Gunārs Kalnmālis at the Liepāja Museum ten years ago, and it could also be the same name given to his life.
The painter will remain in our memories, standing at the easel, in his special honor skirt and hat. Deepest condolences to the family and loved ones, admirers of the talent and contemporaries.
2023-12-08 17:01:10
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