Lea Davidova-Medene ( lv, Lea Davidova-Medene); (31 March 1921 – 31 July 1986) was a Latvian sculptor who worked within the portrait genre in Latvian sculpture during the second half of the 20th century.

Biography

Lea Davidova-Medene graduated from the

Art Academy of Latvia The Art Academy of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Mākslas akadēmija) is an institution of higher education and scientific research in art, located in Riga, Latvia. The neo-Gothic brick building is located on Krišjānis Valdemārs Street, next to t ...

’s Sculpture Department in 1949 under the guidance of sculptor Teodors Zaļkalns. Davidova-Medene started her artistic career shortly before the advent of the so-called “harsh style”. Her exhibitions showcased a large number of portraits of workers, leaders and working heroes as well as notable cultural personalities. She not only portrayed exemplary workers but also distinguished artists, actors, musicians and other creative personalities. The most significant part of her creative legacy as a sculptor are her portraits of her contemporaries. In Davidova-Medene’ works, it is evident that the prevailing artistic movements of the day were synthesised with the traditions of the Latvian tradition of sculpture, which was established by her forerunners and Teodors Zaļkalns in particular. The result is manifested through clarity of form, laconic expression and tectonic order as well as a powerful psychological image of the model. Davidova-Medene’s portraits precisely reveal the most important aspects of the personality and character of their subjects. As a result, she has left a body of emotionally expressive and eloquent figures. This is most memorably manifested in her bronze portrait of painter

Biruta Baumane Biruta Baumane (6 June 1922 – 21 January 2017) was a Latvian figurative painter, one of the most notable of her generation of 20th century artists who developed the "harsh style" as a variety of Socialist realism that dominated in the late 195 ...

, whose characteristic facial angle demonstrates her powerful and eloquent nature. Davidova-Medene’s 1985 monument to

Krišjānis Barons Krišjānis Barons (October 31, 1835 – March 8, 1923) was a Latvian writer who is known as the "father of the dainas" ( lv, "Dainu Tēvs") thanks largely to his systematization of the Latvian folk songs and his labour in preparing their tex ...

now stands in Riga’s

Vērmane Garden Vērmane Garden ( lv, Vērmanes dārzs, german: Wöhrmanns Garten) is the oldest public garden in the city of Riga, Latvia, and currently comprises an area of approximately . The current name is a Latvian transliteration of the garden's original ...

. Lea Davidova-Medene died on 31 July 1986, in Riga. She was buried at the Čāpātāju Cemetery in

Saldus Saldus (; german: Frauenburg) is a Latvian town located in Courland ( lv, Kurzeme) and is the main town, and the central location in Saldus Municipality. The name Saldus has been noted in historical sources as far back as the mid-13th century, but ...

Selected works

Portraits: *"Portrait of Krišjānis Barons", 1985 *"Portrait of Emīls Melderis", 1979 *"Portrait of Lilija Ērika", 1969 *"Portrait of Roberts Antiņš", 1964

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davidova-Medene, Lea 1921 births 1986 deaths Latvian sculptors Women sculptors 20th-century sculptors 20th-century Latvian women artists