Voldemārs Irbe (13 November 1893 – 10 October 1944) was a

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

pastelist A pastel () is an art medium in a variety of forms including a stick, a square a pebble or a pan of color; though other forms are possible; they consist of powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are similar to those use ...

, active in

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...

throughout the 1920s and 1930s. Though he was well-known for his odd behavior and disheveled appearance, leading him to be nicknamed "Barefoot Irbīte", Irbe's work was acclaimed by the Latvian art world both during and after his lifetime.

Life

In 1893, Irbe was born to a highly religious family in the

Beļava Parish Beļava parish ( lv, Beļavas pagasts) is an administrative unit of the Gulbene Municipality, Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg ...

of Latvia's Valka District. After his family moved to

in 1904, Irbe enrolled in school, but he performed poorly and only showed interest in theology. Irbe's brother Jacob, noting Irbe's poor scholastic performance and interest in art, encouraged him to enroll in an art school instead. Consequently, Irbe entered the Drawing and Painting School at the Riga Decorative Painters' Art Society. Irbe took to art much more than he had to traditional schooling, and after his graduation he began working in the studio of . In 1915, Irbe's father committed suicide, after which Irbe took up employment at a local

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

monastery. To avoid the dangers of

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 ...

, the monastery was subsequently evacuated to the interior of Russia; Irbe accompanied them during these travels, which led him to see the cities of St. Petersburg and

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

. Impressed by the art he saw in those cities, Irbe next attempted to travel to

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

; however, he was unsuccessful, and ultimately decided to return to Riga in 1919. Irbe was summoned for military service, but due to his personal convictions against violence, he was unwilling to serve; consequently, he declared himself "an idiot" so that he could be found mentally unfit for the army. Instead, Irbe pursued employment as an art teacher. He made three attempts to pursue a teaching career, but each proved unsuccessful due to his eccentric behavior and habitually shabby clothing. After giving up on teaching, Irbe began to make a living by selling art. Most of the works he sold were very small pieces, as little as 3 x 4 cm, which Irbe could create quickly and sell for small amounts of money. Irbe also held private exhibitions of his own art in the 1920s, which took place at his own workshop. These exhibitions eventually earned Irbe some attention: in 1929 the Riga City Art Museum (today the

Latvian National Museum of Art The Latvian National Museum of Art ( lv, Latvijas Nacionālais mākslas muzejs) is the richest collection of national art in Latvia. It houses more than 52,000 works of art reflecting the development of professional art in the Baltic area and in ...

) bought more than 50 of his works. In addition to his art, Irbe was interested in sharing his philosophical views, which he did through public lectures and short books; however, Irbe's low level of education prevented him from expressing his views lucidly, and so he never achieved much note in this field. During

World War II 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 ...

, Riga was frequently bombed; Irbe was killed in one such bombing in 1944. A statue of Irbe was later erected near the site of his death.

Personality

Irbe was renowned for his eccentricity. He wore dirty, ragged clothing and purportedly only bathed once a year. He also traveled barefoot everywhere, and claimed that he could complete an art piece within the time that he could stand on one foot. Because of his dirty condition, the Riga police once forcibly washed Irbe and cut his hair and beard; Irbe was by this point a well-known figure in the city, and so the "forced washing" incident was reported in Latvian newspapers. Irbe was devoutly religious, and was also interested in philosophy; he frequently shared his opinions at lectures and public debates, and even held philosophical lectures of his own. Irbe was also a

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetarianism m ...

and a

teetotaler Teetotalism is the practice or promotion of total personal abstinence from the psychoactive drug alcohol, specifically in alcoholic drinks. A person who practices (and possibly advocates) teetotalism is called a teetotaler or teetotaller, or i ...

who lived a simple lifestyle.

Artistic style

Irbe was best acclaimed for his

pastel A pastel () is an art medium in a variety of forms including a stick, a square a pebble or a pan of color; though other forms are possible; they consist of powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are similar to those use ...

work. Described as "the first serious master of pastel painting in Latvian art," he was praised for his vibrant use of color and bold brushwork. He was known for the speed of his work, which sometimes led him to be criticized for carelessness; however, Irbe was widely praised by his fellow artists, including

Vilhelms Purvītis Vilhelms Purvītis (3 March 1872 – 14 January 1945) was a landscape painter and educator who founded the Latvian Academy of Art and was its rector from 1919 to 1934. Biography Vilhems Purvītis was born in Zaube Parish (now Cēsis Munic ...

, Jūlijs Madernieks, and Kārlis Neilis.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Irbe, Voldemārs Pastel artists 20th-century Latvian painters 1893 births 1944 deaths People from Gulbene Municipality Artists from Riga Civilians killed in World War II Deaths by airstrike during World War II