Sketches of Azerbaijani carpets by two Latvian artists presented in Baku

An exhibition, Two Julius, dedicated to the works of two famous Latvian artists Julius Straume and Julius Madernieks has opened in Baku.

According to Report, the exhibition is organized by the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum together with the Gulbene Municipality History and Art Museum of Latvia, the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design of Latvia, the Latvian National Museum of Art, the Gulbene Art School of Latvia, the Palace of Arts of Georgia, the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan, the Embassy of Latvia in Azerbaijan and the Latvia State Culture Capital Foundation.

Julius Straume and Julius Madernieks are famous for laying the foundations of Latvian professional applied art and design in the first half of the last century.

Julius Straume was an official of the Caucasian Handicraft Committee, which managed many workshops, including those on the territory of modern Azerbaijan. Straume regularly undertook ethnographic expeditions in the Caucasus, from which he brought sketches and photographs of handicrafts, most of which were carpet ornaments.

The exhibition features reproductions of sketches by Julius Straume, which trace the influence of both Caucasian and Oriental art, as well as Art Deco style and national romanticism. The originals of these works are kept in the collections of the Druviena Old School-Museum of Latvia, the Gulbene Municipality History and Art Museum of Latvia, the National Museum of Art of Latvia and the Georgian Palace of Arts.

Within the framework of the exhibition, it is planned to hold lectures on Latvian textiles, as well as special children's programs developed by specialists from the Gulbene Art School and the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum.

The exhibition will run until January 6, 2023.