Jēkabs Bīne (11 April 1895 – 24 October 1955) was a Latvian painter,

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

artist, teacher and art critic.

Biography

Jēkabs Bīne was born in

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

in 1895 in merchant family. He studied at the Riga City Art School (1913–1915), Kharkov Art School (1915–1918) and the Art Academy of Latvia (1921–1926). His graduation work from Jānis Tilbergs' figurative painting class at the Art Academy was the painting ''Resurrection''. He held teaching positions throughout his life: at the Art Studio of the Latvian People University (1928–1940), Riga People University, Institute of Housekeeping in (1932–1939), at the Riga State Art of Craft School (1933–1944), at the School of the Riga society of painters (1936-1939), at the Art Academy of Latvia (1942–1944), at the Kuldiga Secondary Art School (1944–1951), and at combine "Art" (1951–1955). His first solo exhibition was held in 1917. In the 1920s he painted Christian subjects, including the altarpieces for the churches in Cesvaine (1924), (1926) and Vecsaule (1927). His focus on sacral painting developed into an interest in

Latvian mythology Latvian mythology is the collection of myths that have emerged throughout the history of Latvia, sometimes being elaborated upon by successive generations, and at other times being rejected and replaced by other explanatory narratives. These myt ...

idealism Idealism in philosophy, also known as philosophical realism or metaphysical idealism, is the set of metaphysics, metaphysical perspectives asserting that, most fundamentally, reality is equivalent to mind, Spirit (vital essence), spirit, or ...

and an ambition to connect art to folk culture and nature. He studied the symbols of Latvian ornamentation and incorporated this in his art. He became involved in Ernests Brastiņš' neopagan movement Dievturība and became one of its main public promoters. From 1940 and throughout the

Stalinist Stalinism (, ) is the totalitarian means of governing and Marxist–Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1927 to 1953 by dictator Joseph Stalin and in Soviet satellite states between 1944 and 1953. Stalinism in ...

era, this was repressed as "bourgeois art". Bīne's diaries show that he was disappointed with the direction the Soviet authorities set out for the arts, and that he viewed it as vulgarization. He did however adapt to the new regime. As part of his acceptance of a position as a

specialist in 1951, he wrote a 1952 paper titled ''Ornament'' in which he condemned his previous views on Latvian ornamentation. Bīne was the father of the actress (1928–2006). He died in Riga on 24 October 1955.

Legacy

Bīne's 1931 painting ''Dievs, Māra, Laima'', depicting three gods from Latvian mythology, remains one of the most prominent examples of Dievturi iconography. A book about Bīne by the art historian Agita Gritāne was published in 2020. The same year, an exhibition of his works was held in

Kuldīga Kuldīga () () is a town in the Courland region of Latvia, in the western part of the country. It is the center of Kuldīga Municipality with a population of approximately 13,500. Kuldīga was first mentioned in 1242. It joined the Hanseatic L ...

to commemorate the 125th anniversary of his birth.

Biography

Legacy

References

Further reading