Andrejs Paulāns-Kraskevičs ( Latgalian: Andrivs Povulāns-Kraskevičs, 30 November 1896 – 29 November 1973) was a Latvian and Latgalian

ceramicist Ceramic art is art made from ceramic materials, including clay. It may take forms including artistic pottery, including tableware, tiles, figurines and other sculpture. As one of the plastic arts, ceramic art is one of the visual arts. Wh ...

. He is regarded as one of the greatest Latgalian ceramicists. In 1937, Paulāns was awarded with a Gold Medal at the Paris Exhibition.

Biography

Andrejs Paulāns-Kraskevičs was born at Šembeļi village in Silajāņi Parish,

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

in 1896. He inherited the interest for

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and ...

from his father Izidors.Paulānu dzimta
- Preili Library In 1915, he joined Latvian riflemen as the

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

was going on. Two years later, Paulāns returned home after being heavily wounded in head and shoulder. For his service, he was awarded with a

Cross of St. George The Cross of Saint George (russian: Георгиевский крест, Georgiyevskiy krest) is a state decoration of the Russian Federation. It was initially established by Imperial Russia where it was officially known as the Decoration of ...

. Paulāns right eye was blinded for the rest of his life. Since 1918, Paulāns worked in the workshop of his father. His name rose to fame in 30's, when his works were shown in exhibitions outside Latvia. First foreign exhibition with Paulāns works was in 1931 in

Sèvres Sèvres (, ) is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department, Île-de-France region. The commune, which had a population of 23,251 as of 2018, is known for ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. He was awarded with a Gold Medal at the 1937 Paris Exhibition. Paulāns died on 29 November 1973. He is buried in the Feimaņi cemetery.

Legacy

Paulāns remains one of the most influential ceramicists in the Latgalian ceramics history. In

Rainis Rainis was the pseudonym of Jānis Pliekšāns (September 11, 1865 – September 12, 1929), a Latvian poet, playwright, translator, and politician. Rainis' works include the classic plays ''Uguns un nakts'' (''Fire and Night'', 1905) and ''Ind ...

Museum in Jasmuiža are located the relocated workshop and kiln of Andrejs Paulāns. In 1986, Latgale Ceramics Studio in

Rēzekne Rēzekne (, ; German: ''Rositten'') is a state city in the Rēzekne River valley in Latgale region of eastern Latvia. It is called ''The Heart of Latgale'' (Latvian ''Latgales sirds'', Latgalian ''Latgolys sirds''). Built on seven hills, Rēzekn ...

was renamed to Andrejs Paulāns Folk Applied Art Studio. One of the streets in the Latgalian town of Preiļi is named in honor of Paulāns.

Honors

* 1937: Gold Medal at the 1937 Paris Exhibition * 1958: People's Artist of the Latvian SSR

References

External links

Works by Paulāns
@ Latgale Culture History Museum {{DEFAULTSORT:Andrejs Paulans 1896 births 1973 deaths People from Preiļi Municipality 20th-century Latgalian ceramists 20th-century Latvian ceramists Recipients of the Order of St. George