Teodors Zaļkalns (born Teodors Grīnbergs; 30 November 1876 – 6 September 1972) was a Latvian sculptor, poet, medalist and teacher who was among the first professional Latvian sculptors.

Biography

He was born in 1876 in Allažu parish in the family of a farmer and merchant. Grīnbergs studied at the Allaži parish school, then at the Riga city real school. In 1893, he entered the Stiglitz Central School of Technical Drawing in St. Petersburg, specializing in decorative painting and etching. In 1899, he went to study in Munich, then to Paris with the aim of improving his decorative painting skills, but after meeting

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (; ; 12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a u ...

, he decided to become a sculptor. After returning to St. Petersburg, he worked in a jewelry company, where he created models for human and animal figurines. In the summers he returned home and worked mainly on portraits. In 1903, he moved to Yekaterinburg, where he worked as an art teacher. At the same time, he also created portraits and statuettes. In 1907, he went to Italy and studied the technology of bronze casting and marble processing in Florence, becoming acquainted with the works of Italian old masters. From 1909 he lived in St. Petersburg, and was a teacher at the Stiglitz Central School of Technical Drawing (1918-1919). With the outbreak of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

in 1914, he signed his works with the pseudonym Zaļkalns, which is a direct translation from German into Latvian of the surname "Grinberg". In 1930, the pseudonym became the official name of the sculptor. In 1918-1919, together with his compatriots, Ernests Štālbergs, Kārlis Zāle, Gustavs Šķilters, Jānis Tilbergs and Burkards Dzenis, he participated in the practical implementation of the Lenin's Plan of "Monumental Propaganda". During this period he created and installed two monuments, one to the democratic revolutionary Nikolai Chernyshevsky and to the member of the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (, ) was a French revolutionary government that seized power in Paris on 18 March 1871 and controlled parts of the city until 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard (France), Nation ...

, Auguste Blanqui. He also created models of monuments to composers

Modest Mussorgsky Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (; ; ; – ) was a Russian composer, one of the group known as "The Five (composers), The Five." He was an innovator of Music of Russia, Russian music in the Romantic music, Romantic period and strove to achieve a ...

and Alexander Scriabin and revolutionary lieutenant Pyotr Schmidt. In 1920, he returned to Latvia, lived and worked in Riga where he founded the artists' association . He participated in the competitions for two monuments of Riga, the Brothers' Graves (1921–1922) and the Freedom Monument (1922–1929), but lost in the competition with Kārlis Zāle. He wrote a collection of poetry called "Poems" which were published in 1924. In 1930, he Latvianized his surname from Grīnbergs to Zaļkalns. He created busts of the writer Jānis Akurāteras (1929) and poet Aspazija (1931), the tombstone of the poet Jānis Poruks in the Meža cemetery in Riga and the Fricis Bārda monument in the Umurgas cemetery. In Kazdang, a monument carved by him to Yuri Māteru was installed, and in Plācī a tab for those who fell in the First World War (1931). A multi-meter sculpture of a pig, which could also be perceived as a symbol of Latvian bacon, was planned to be installed in the Central Market in 1937, but this plan was not implemented. In 1938, a monument to

Atis Kronvalds Atis Kronvalds or Kronvaldu Atis (15 April 1837 – 17 February 1875) was a Latvian writer, linguist and pedagogue, as well as a prominent member of the Young Latvia movement. Early life Kronvalds was born to a tailor's family, but he was ra ...

Sigulda Sigulda (; ; Polish Zygwold) is a town in the Vidzeme region of Latvia, from the capital city Riga. Overview Sigulda is on a picturesque stretch of the primeval Gauja river valley. Because of the reddish Devonian sandstone which forms steep r ...

. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, There are different views on the activity of the professor in the Soviet-occupied Latvia, because he cooperated with the Soviet authorities. The Soviets glorified him and he did not object. Immediately after the restoration of Soviet power in 1944, Załkalns became a member of the Union of Artists.
100 Latvijas personību
/ref> During 1994-1958 he was head of the Faculty of Sculpture of the Art Academy of Latvia and its professor since 1947. He was elected a Deputy of the

Supreme Soviet of the Latvian SSR The Supreme Soviet of the Latvian SSR ( Latvian: ''Latvijas PSR Augstākā Padome''; Russian: Верховный Совет Латвийской ССР, ''Verkhovnyy Sovet Latvyyskoy SSR'') was the supreme soviet (main legislative institutio ...

from 1947 to 1953 and a member of the Academy of Arts of the Latvian SSR from 1947. He was awarded several honorary titles: Peoples' Artist of Latvia (1945),

People's Artist of the USSR People's Artist of the USSR, also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to artists of the Soviet Union. The term is confusingly used to translate two Russian language titles: Народный арти ...

(1957) and Hero of Socialist Labor (1971).

Gallery

File:Literator.jpg, Monument to Rūdolfs Blaumanis File:Siguldas Jaunās pils komplekss (5) (Kenny McFly).jpg, Monument to Atis Kronvald (Sigulda)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zaļkalns, Teodors 1876 births 1972 deaths People from Sigulda Municipality People from Riga county Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1947–1951 Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1951–1955 Latvian sculptors Latvian artists 20th-century Latvian educators Artists from the Russian Empire Soviet educators 20th-century Latvian artists 20th-century sculptors 20th-century Latvian poets Saint Petersburg Stieglitz State Academy of Art and Design alumni People's Artists of the USSR (visual arts) People's Artists of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic Heroes of Socialist Labour Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour