Since 1996, A. Klein has been organizing plein airs of painters, the guiding motif of which is the historical cityscape of Liepāja, while “Walking through Liepāja” is a continuation of the series of exhibitions that the artist started to celebrate his 60th anniversary.
“It is such a number that I would like to evaluate and look back. We understand that we will all die, and then everyone decides what they want to do with the rest of their lives. Christian Brecht reminds me of this three times a day, but I don’t put it in art.
There are things you can say, but art has to be uplifting.
It is misunderstood that the artist imagines himself to be the wisest and will be the one who will now moralize the society. If we talk about fashion, it has long been out of fashion,” says A. Klein, emphasizing that he wants to promote honest painting and craftsmanship with his exhibition.
“I also say that I am not already a magician, I just aspire to be. Of course, I have raised the bar very high – from Rembrandt to Claude Monet. I still have to strive and strive, but today I see artists who either hide their inability under superficiality and abstractions, or are so confused, but I am honest with myself,” says the artist.
A. Klein is said to be used to shooting several rabbits with one shot, so with “Walk in Liepāja” he wants to draw people’s attention to Liepāja’s pristine urban environment, which, in his opinion, is slowly dying out.
“I will not be ashamed of sentiment!” says the artist Aivars Kleins, who has depicted the ancient attractive buildings of Liepāja in the paintings of his exhibition “Pastaiga pa Liepāja”, which are becoming fewer and fewer as the years go by. Photo: Đirts Gertsons
While ancient charming architecture is appreciated in the world and in Europe, where there is a lot of it, in Liepāja it is all being destroyed, according to him, and this makes the artist worried.
“I have lived in Liepāja all my life and I know what “pearls” have been demolished during this time.
However, tourism is also associated with a certain romance and sentiment. Where is that environment? If we talk about architecture and art, they are the mirror of the era. Let’s go to the Tram bridge, let’s look at the canal side – there is horror, everything is chaotic, and it is very difficult for me to paint the street in such a classic plein air style! But if there is no such environment, plein air painting will die.
At one point it was fashionable for Latvians to go to Venice or Morocco to paint. What, I need Venetian paintings here? I remember that in the late 1980s there was a photo exhibition in the Customs house, a Finn was in Liepāja, he photographed the architecture of the city in black and white photographs, and he had this saying:
“Liepaja looks like an old stable. Only Venice can still afford such luxury.”
This is the understanding of painting! Historical houses are currently being mocked, it is money that has damaged the environment. But spirituality and fate must also leave something,” A. Klein is convinced.
The exhibition “Pastaiga pa Liepāju” can be viewed in the art salon “Ludviķis” until the end of August.
Contribution of the media support fund from Latvian state budget funds. The portal liepajniekiem.lv is responsible for the prepared content.
2023-07-20 03:37:10
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