Teodors Zaļkalns (born Teodors Grīnbergs; 30 November 1876 – 6 September 1972) was a Latvian sculptor, poet, medalist and teacher who was among the first professional Latvian sculptors.

Biography

He was born in 1876 in Allažu parish in the family of a farmer and merchant. Grīnbergs studied at the Allaži parish school, then at the Riga city real school. In 1893, he entered the Stiglitz Central School of Technical Drawing in St. Petersburg, specializing in decorative painting and etching. In 1899, he went to study in Munich, then to Paris with the aim of improving his decorative painting skills, but after meeting

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...

, he decided to become a sculptor. After returning to St. Petersburg, he worked in a jewelry company, where he created models for human and animal figurines. In the summers he returned home and worked mainly on portraits. In 1903, he moved to Yekaterinburg, where he worked as an art teacher. At the same time, he also created portraits and statuettes. In 1907, he went to Italy and studied the technology of bronze casting and marble processing in Florence, becoming acquainted with the works of Italian old masters. From 1909 he lived in St. Petersburg, and was a teacher at the Stiglitz Central School of Technical Drawing (1918-1919). With the outbreak of the

First World War 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 ...

in 1914, he signed his works with the pseudonym Zaļkalns, which is a direct translation from German into Latvian of the surname "Grinberg". In 1930, the pseudonym became the official name of the sculptor. In 1918-1919, together with his compatriots, Ernests Štālbergs,

Kārlis Zāle Kārlis Zāle (28 October 1888 – 19 February 1942) was a Latvian sculptor. Zāle was born in Mažeikiai, but grew up in Liepāja. After training in Russia at the Kazan Art School under Alexander Matveyev and in Germany, he returned to Riga in ...

Gustavs Šķilters Gustavs Šķilters (15 November 1874 – 24 September 1954) was a Latvian artist, working mainly as a sculptor. Biography Gustavs Šķilters was born in present-day Rencēni Parish, the son of a blacksmith, and trained to become an artist in S ...

Jānis Tilbergs Jānis Tilbergs, also known as Tillbergs or Tilberg ( lv, Jānis Roberts Tilbergs, russian: Янис Тилберг, ); ( – 7 November 1972) was a Latvian artist, Painting, painter, Sculptor (artist), sculptor, and medallist. He is most renow ...

and

Burkards Dzenis Burkards Dzenis (1879, Dreiliņi, Stopiņi Municipality, Dreiliņi, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire – 1966, Dayton, Ohio) was a Latvian artist. Biography Burkards Dzenis was born in the outskirts of Riga and spent his first years in the ...

, he participated in the practical implementation of the Lenin's Plan of "Monumental Propaganda". During this period he created and installed two monuments, one to the democratic revolutionary Nikolai Chernyshevsky and to the member of the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...

, Auguste Blanqui. He also created models of monuments to composers Modest Mussorgsky and

Alexander Scriabin Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin (; russian: Александр Николаевич Скрябин ; – ) was a Russian composer and virtuoso pianist. Before 1903, Scriabin was greatly influenced by the music of Frédéric Chopin and composed ...

and revolutionary lieutenant Pyotr Schmidt. In 1920, he returned to Latvia, lived and worked in Riga where he founded the artists' association Sadarbs. He participated in the competitions for two monuments of Riga, the Brothers' Graves (1921–1922) and the Freedom Monument (1922–1929), but lost in the competition with Kārlis Zāle. He wrote a collection of poetry called "Poems" which were published in 1924. In 1930, he Latvianized his surname from Grīnbergs to Zaļkalns. He created busts of the writer Jānis Akurāteras (1929) and poet Aspazija (1931), the tombstone of the poet Jānis Poruks in the Meža cemetery in Riga and the

Fricis Bārda Fricis Bārda (25 January 1880 – 13 March 1919) was a Latvian poet, particularly noted for his interest in philosophical and pantheistic themes. Biography Fricis Bārda was born in the Pociema district, on the rural estate of ''Rumbiņi''. He ...

monument in the Umurgas cemetery. In Kazdang, a monument carved by him to Yuri Māteru was installed, and in Plācī a tab for those who fell in the First World War (1931). A multi-meter sculpture of a pig, which could also be perceived as a symbol of Latvian bacon, was planned to be installed in the Central Market in 1937, but this plan was not implemented. In 1938, a monument to

Atis Kronvalds Atis Kronvalds or Kronvaldu Atis (15 April 1837 – 17 February 1875) was a Latvian writer, linguist and pedagogue, as well as a prominent member of the Young Latvia movement. Early life Kronvalds was born to a tailor family, but was raised b ...

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Zaļkalns actively cooperated with the Soviet authorities. He was elected a Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian SSR from 1947 to 1953 and a member of the Academy of Arts of the Latvian SSR from 1947.

Gallery

File:Piemineklis Alfrēdam Kalniņam.jpg, Monument to Alfrēds Kalniņš File:Literator.jpg, Monument to Rūdolfs Blaumanis File:Siguldas Jaunās pils komplekss (5) (Kenny McFly).jpg, Monument to Atis Kronvald (Sigulda)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zaļkalns, Teodors 1876 births 1972 deaths Latvian sculptors Latvian artists Latvian educators Soviet educators People's Artists of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic People's Artists of the USSR (visual arts) 20th-century Latvian artists 20th-century sculptors 20th-century Latvian poets Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1947–1951 Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1951–1955 Vera Mukhina Institute alumni