Days of Latvian Culture in Vitebsk: An Introduction to Latgalian Ceramics, Painting, and Feelings

Several exhibitions have opened in the regional center as part of the Days of Latvian Culture in Vitebsk. Traditionally, they are held on the eve of Independence Day, which our Western neighbors celebrate on November 18.

The Marc Chagall Art Center features paintings by Riga artist Agniya Germane. The exhibition includes portraits, landscapes, and abstract compositions, which the author has united under the title "Defragmentation of Feelings". "Defragmentation and feelings are absolutely incompatible concepts. A feeling cannot be calculated; it is infinite and dimensionless, but artists can work wonders. They capture and fragment feelings on canvas, making them live there and charge viewers with empathy", – explained Agniya Germane at the opening of her exhibition.

The Vitebsk Town Hall showcases Latgalian ceramics from the collection of the Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre. Interestingly, this exhibition replaced the display of works by teachers and students of the Vitebsk State University named after P. Masherov's Faculty of Art and Graphics, which also featured ceramics. Thus, lovers of decorative and applied arts can compare the Belarusian and Latgalian schools. As noted by Anatoly Alkhimenok, head of the Department of Decorative and Applied Arts at our university, Belarusian artists once traveled to Riga and Daugavpils to see the works of their Baltic colleagues. Latvian ceramics were characterized by greater associativity, freedom in the choice of forms, and emotionality. Latgalian ceramics hold a special place in decorative and applied arts. It is characterized by simplicity, clarity of forms, and natural expressiveness. According to Dagnija Lāce-Āte, Consul of the Republic of Latvia in Vitebsk, every Latvian has a clay item from Latgale. Her home also has a green vase in the national style.

The exhibition in the town hall showcases the works of the renowned artist Pēteris Martinsons. In his time, he revolutionized ceramic art in Latvia; his geometric clay forms offered a new perspective on this form of creativity. The master from Daugavpils gained worldwide recognition and was awarded the highest state award of Latvia – the Order of the Three Stars, Third Class. The exhibition also features works by contemporary ceramic artists, in particular, from the folk applied art studio "Latgale".

The opening of the exhibition coincided with the birthday of the Vitebsk Regional Museum of Local Lore, which celebrates its 90th anniversary this year. As emphasized by its director, Gleb Savitsky, the exhibition of Latgalian ceramics can be considered a gift from Vitebsk, a sister city with which we have long-standing friendly ties.

Tatyana Pasternak, "Vitebskiye Vesti"