Aleksjes Naumovs

Artist's country of origin: Latvia

The painter Aleksejs Naumovs is an outstanding landscape painter and the most significant Plein Air painter in Latvian contemporary art. His painting is characterized with masterful line, dynamic stroke, bright, but at the same time refined and nuanced color choice.

Artist has been interested in the landscape as a genre for more than thirty years. In the urban landscapes painted by the artist primary role in them has that what has given him the impulse in the first place – the red sun in Paris, turquoise sea in Nica, magnificent Etruscan vases in Florence or the reflection of the sky in the pond of “Ķidēnu” house in Vecpiebalga. Also Italian architecture as a motif is often depicted. His early works are dominated by materiality of tones, while the latest works show complete unity of object’s form and content, ideal synthesis between spiritual and sensual.

The artist is blessed with a great spatial sense and tonal relations, which alongside serious natural studies and inner vitality gives an impression of free and colorful painting. He is considered to be one of the most productive artists of his generation. He has worked also in the field of monumental painting – artist’s monumental paintings reveal complex, intricate compositions, in which, despite the huge number of characters in them, the artist aspires to a certain degree of their characterization.

Works of Naumovs can be divided in several periods. At first there was a search for fovistic expressions in tempera technique. Later follows the period of abstract painting and a research in direction of impressionistic vision. In general art historian Austra Avotina calls his painting manner as a expressionistically impressionistic. During study years he was keen on art works of Paul Klee, Henri Matisse, Raoul Dufy and Marc Chagall.

Aleksejs Naumovs has graduated from Janis Rozentals Riga Secondary School of Art (1973), the Department of monumental painting at the Art Academy of Latvia (1979) with diploma work „First Days of Kolkhoz” (supervised by professor Indulis Zarins). Doctorate studies under professor Eduards Kalnins (1900-1983) and studied at Paris-Sorbonne University in France (1987-1988). He was a teacher of drawing at Carnicava Midddle School(1979–1985), professor at the Art Academy of Latvia since 1985, rector of the Art Academy of Latvia since 2007. The artist regularly organizes solo exhibitions, also works in the field of illustration for children’s books.

Member of Artists’ Union since 1980. He is one of the founding members of the international Arts Association “B13”.

Source:
Aleksejs Naumovs. Collection of Impressions. Riga: Jumava, 2014.