Russian Artists of Modern Latvia

After the Second World War under Soviet rule the cultural life of Latvian Russians underwent substantial changes. Some Russian artists, who refused to accept Soviet rule, left the country. Others together with their Latvian colleagues participated in creating the art of Soviet Latvia.

However, it was not the old generation but young people, who had already received their education during the Soviet times, who were fated to put a new spin on the art. The Latvian Academy of Arts in spite of its official line of socialist realism managed to maintain and continue the traditions of classical art. The most outstanding Latvian artists taught within the walls of the Academy. Their school attracted a lot of young Russian artists from all over the USSR. They were not seeking how to express the national style in art; their works addressed figurative and global panhuman problems. The majority of their works cannot be placed within the ranks of any national tradition.

The modern stage in the development of fine arts in Latvia is also marked by a rebirth of religious art and sculpture, and also by a move towards the numerous western and global trends of modern art.