November 22 – December 16 in Riga Gallery will be held the personal exhibition "Varations on theme" of the live legend, popular and very beloved Latvian artist Līga Purmale. This exhibition will represent 9 new works painted during 2006, which are created to show the urban beauty of the city – overcrowded streets, the pulsation of civilization, the energy and movement of the city.

The base of the exposition are 4 large format paintings that characterzie the actual life, its rhythms and energy – graffiti art on the walls, the people in the streets, the lights of shops and theatre, public transport, evening lights, advertisings, cafes, young and lucky people all around. The author describes this exhibition ans the adventure of walking in the city, to be precise, the notes after haveing walked in the city.

A special attention of the artist is turned to the chiaroscuros, neon advertising lights in the evening light, glass double face, reflections, the famous mist of the artist. All this is enriched by the optical effects. Figural painting in this exhibition is mizxed with movement elements.

The works by LÄ«ga Purmale can be found in the collections of Latvia National Museum of Art, the Museum of Latvian Artists gallery, State Tretyakov gellery in Moscos, Jane Voorhe Zimmerli Art Museum in New York and in private collections in Latvia and abroad.

*** LÄ«ga Purmale (b. 1948) entered the Latvian art scene together with Miervaldis Polis in the mid-1970s. Life styles and creative activities of both artists challenged accepted norms of public behavior. Their life and art were exceptional examples of counterculture. LÄ«ga Purmale and Miervaldis Polis can be considered the founders of Photo Realism in Latvian painting. Their joint exhibition in 1974 clearly defined their attempts to achieve in painting such a degree of reality that exceeds the potential of an accurate photograph.

Cultivating and developing Photo Realist principles, Līga Purmale has created an individual expressive style and particular conception of landscape. She has taken up several themes in her works – panoramic views of meadows and forests, foggy landscapes, close-ups of nature details as well as urban life and its rhythms. During the last years the artist’s imagery has been expanded by vibrating figures of dancers in pulsating red tones. All these themes she has endowed with certain moods. The artist transforms reality enriching it with various effects. Painterly, subtle “portrayals” of both natural and urban scenes, balanced compositions of colour and light typify Līga Purmale as one of the leading painters of her generation.

In the summer of 2004 Līga Purmale’s solo exhibition "Visible World" of both old and new works took place at the State Museum of Art. The artist's latest show "Diary of a Passer-by" is held at Riga Gallery from October 4th to 29th, 2005.

Although painting is the primary field of the artist’s creative activity; she has practiced also graphics and stage design. Līga Purmale was stage designer for Petr Tchaikovsky’s ballet “Swan Lake” (2002) and Adolphe Adam’s ballet “Le Corsaire” (2003) at the Latvian National Opera.

Līga Purmale’s works are included in the collections of the State Museum of Art (Riga), the Artists’ Union of Latvia Museum (Riga), the State Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow), the Klāvs Sīpoliņš Foundation (Canada), Ainars Gulbis privat collection and other private collections in Latvia and abroad, Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, Rugers University (USA).

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Riga Gallery
20, Aspazijas Blvd, Riga, LV-1050
Phone / Fax: +371 7225887, +371 29289382
E-mail: rigas_galerija@ apollo.lv
www.rigasgalerija.com