Ģirts Boronovskis
"Flatscreen Landscape" - pastels
Gallery MuseumLV , anniversary exhibition.

06.04.2023. – 27.05. 2023.

Ģirts is a born and bred 'Rīgan' whose secondary school education began at Riga Secondary School number 24 , located at the junction of Tallinas and Krišjāņa Barona street. The drawing teacher, who also headed the voluntary drawing group, proved to be fortunate for him - Vilis Vizulis, who at the time was a young artist in his own right, spotted Ģirts special artistic talent. Ģirts represented his school in the drawing Olympiad competition and Vizulis succeeded in persuading his parents that the young man should further his education at the Jaņa Rozentāla Art School.
There was a slight glitch before actually gaining a place there as he had remained first reserve. However, after some discussion, he was duly accepted as a 'rozentāl' student. Ģirts recalls with the utmost sincerity his class teacher Uno Danilevski, who was most caring towards all his students. At the time too a particular interest in the techniques of graphic art came from another source, Līga Bokalder, who was in charge of the graphics group as well as having her own specialisms. Ģirts was not as successful at painting as his fellow students so he is especially grateful towards his painting teacher Imants Melderis, who really encouraged him not to lose interest but to strive to become a more accomplished painter.
Ģirts graduated from the Rozentāl Art School with a linocut work entitled "Factory Work".
Further studies continued at the National Art Academy in the graphics departament led by Aleksandrs Stankevičs. Concurrently with graphics and drawing Ģirts was also painting using water colours and gouache. In his final year he increasingly devotes his attention to the medium of graphics, focusing on the printed book. Pēteris Upītis, a graphics specialist, was his teacher and it was he too who oversaw his final graduation work comprising illustrations for Andrejs Upīša's book "The Wheels of Time". Moreover Ģirts was one of his last students. It is worth noting that the artist is now confident enough to strike out on his own, renouncing usual graphology techniques and instead choosing to employ Indian ink drawings.
No matter how paradoxical it may seem it was marriage that seemed to stimulate his further artistic development .His parents -in-law are the renowned Latvian artists Rita Valners and Eduards Kalniņš. In particular it is Valners who encourages the young artist to try pastels and it is this technique that with time becomes Boronovski's medium of choice through which are mirrored in fine detail his own personal experiences and attitude towards nature. Moreover it is thanks to Eduards Kalniņš's wide experience and technical expertise that Ģirts seriously begins to turn to photography. He not only takes numerous photographs but also develops his own films and colour slides, making copies of black and white photographs in his own workroom. Whilst a student at the Art Academy Ģirts also began work at the Latvian, now National, History Museum. Concurrently with other work this is something he continues with to this day. Chance has meant that his main focus has been on art from a historical viewpoint and undoubtedly much has been achieved in this context. He has curated many historical exhibitions and projects, and is well known and respected in Latvia. Such work has not been just carried out in Latvia but also in other world renowned museums .


When he was young Riga had many cinemas and 'going to the pictures' was one of the most popular forms of entertainment. One cinema in particular stands out, namely "Palladium" which boasted a flat screen. The image projected on to this screen was so huge that one had to turn one's head from side to side, particularly if you happened to be sitting in one of the front rows.
A sensation of this vast expanse of landscape which can seemingly overcome the viewer is a theme in his work. Technology may change, advances may be made offering up panoramic views of the natural world, images captured in flatangled photographic camera work. The question however arises: how to incooperate these feelings of endless landscapes in a work of art? Usually artists do not concern themselves too much about what fits or not on the canvas. Ģirts however is one of those rare landscape artists who strives to capture this elusive emotive endless landscape reality in full in all his work so as to take one's breath away.
The artist's main theme is nature's mood and how to recreate this image for the viewer. To achieve this he explores all the many and varied images created by the changing seasons, the way light changes, the different textures. He paints fog, mists, water, sunsets, meadows- simple, peaceful moods. The artist does not paint seascapes because the sea is constantly moving . He also avoids stones for these in nature are hard, but not always so in paintings. He also totally avoids moonlight. This non- depiction does not stem from prohibition but rather from a sense of self - questioning: will I succeed, will I convincingly be able to portray this? The artist's creations always keep the viewer in mind. He is driven not just by his own creativity but also an awareness of judgement from the side-lines.
"Flatscreen Landscape" is in it own way a unique exhibition , it being quite a rare occasion. It comprehensively displays the artist's mature craftmanship.

Iveta Laure, artist, Mag.art


Riga, April 2023



CV

ĢIRTS BORONOVSKIS

Born on 24 March 1963, Riga

Professional Education:

1981 Jaņa Rozentāla Art High School

1987 Art Academy of Latvia, Graphic Art department, prof. Pēteris Upītis

Graduation work: Book graphic design, Illustrations for Andrejs Upītis book “The Wheels of Time”

Qualification: graphic artist, teacher of fine art

Work Experience:

 

from 1986 until now senior designer at the National History Museum of Latvia

Additional work:

2005–2007 “Mākslas fabrika No. 7” Ltd., an artist

1999–2004 “Lido” Ltd., an environment artist

1995–1999 Magazine “Biznesa Partneri”, an artist

1993–1998 Newspaper “Latvijas Zeme”, an artist

1989–1993 Riga Children’s Art School (now Māra Muižniece’s Riga School of Arts), an art teacher

1985–1988 Allaži eight-year school, an art teacher

Permanent museum expositions and exhibition design:

2022/2023 “Crimplenomania”, the project and implementation, the National History

Museum of Latvia.

2021 “Baltic Appeal to the United Nations”, the design and implementation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia;

“Colourful Latvia”, the project and implementation, the National History Museum of Latvia.

2019/2020 “11 heroic stories. the Military Order of Lāčplēsis, its holders, Lāčplēsis

Day”, the project and implementation, the National History Museum of Latvia.

2019 “Ogre Station”, Ogre History and Art Museum, a constant exhibition, the project

and implementation;

2018 The Salaspils Memorial Ensemble, the exhibition project and implementation.

2017 Ķekava Local History Museum, main exhibition, the project and arrangement;

“Storm Museum” in Jurkalne, the project and implementation.

2016 “On the Way to the Latvian Nation”, the project’s implementation, the National History Museum of Latvia;

“Our Stories, No One Else’s” – the History Museum of Tukums Town, the exhibition and implementation;

2015 “Version–Latvian”, the design and implementation, the National History Museum of Latvia;

2014 “Amber – the Jewel of the Baltic Sea”, the project’s implementation, the National History Museum of Latvia, Minsk (Belarus) and Kiev (Ukraine) History Museums.

2011 “The 2nd LATVIAN RIFLE BRIGADE BATTLE AT THE BANKS OF THE RIVER MAZĀ JUGLA”, an exhibition at the Cultural Heritage Centre of Ikskile County;

“Tinuzi Manor”, the realization;

“Rumbula. 1941: Anatomy of a Crime”, the realization, the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia;

Arrangement of the temporary main exhibition of the Ogre History and Art Museum;

Arrangement of the main exhibition of J. Rozentals Saldus Museum of History and Art;

The layout of the main exposition of the Turaida Museum Reserve in the West Building of the palace.

2007 “Latvian archaeology”, the realization, Warsaw and Biskupin (Poland) Archaeological Museum;

“Money in Latvia” – the realization, Vienna (Austria) Art History Museum and Berlin (Germany) “Bode Museum”.

2006 Realization of the main exhibitions, J. Rozentals Saldus and Ogre History and Art Museums;

“My damp houses”, the realization, Ligatne Nature Park;

“The Baltic Sea”, the realization, the Latvian Nature Museum.

2005 The design and implementation of the main exhibition of Turaida Museum Reserve;

Exhibition arrangement of Ogre History and Art Museum;

Participation in the development and implementation of exhibition design of the Bank of Latvia Visitors’ Centre.

2003 “Castle mounds. The Cours. The Latgalians. The Hatter's Story”, The History Museum of Latvia.

2001 Latvia/France joint project “History, culture and traditions of Latvia”, Museum of Mankind, Paris, France.

2000 Latvia/Sweden joint project “Three Stars – Three Crowns”, the Arsenāls Exhibition Hall of the Latvian National Museum of Art.

1999 “The Latgalians”, the State Historical Museum of Russia, Moscow.

1995 “The Second World War – Remembrance and Warning”, the Latvian War Museum.

1991 “The Saga of Latvia”, the State History Museum, Stockholm, Sweden.

Book Graphic Design:

Illustrated and created book design for the publishing house “Zīlīte” – ”Atgadījums manā dzīvē.

100 bērnu stāsti” (“An incident in my life. 100 children’s stories” arranged by M. and R. Rungulis), for the publishing house “Sprīdītis” – J. Baltvilks ”Vējlukturis mežā: stāstiņi bērniem par dabu” (“Windlight in the forest: stories for children about nature”), J. Wayne ”Diena, kad nogāzās griesti” (“The Day the Ceiling Fell Down”), for the publishing houses “Liesma”, “Zvaigzne” et al.

Group Exhibitions:

Participate in exhibitions since 1985.

Participation in various group exhibitions – “Young Artists Exhibition”, “Autumn”, ”Spring” etc., in Latvia and abroad.

Solo exhibitions:

2002 LANDSCAPES – Pastel Painting, Gallery “Čiris”, Riga

1998 LANDSCAPES, together with photographer Leons Balodis, Exhibition Hall of the History Museum of Latvia

1994 LANDSCAPES – Pastel Painting, Exhibition Hall of the History Museum of Latvia

https://www.liveriga.com/en/visit/events/exhibitions/girts-boronovskis-solo-show-flatscreen-landscape

https://spletnik.lv/ru/latviesu-kultura/1123-girts-boronovskis-platekrana-ainava-pasteli.html

https://www.diena.lv/raksts/kd/kd-afisa/girta-boronovska-izstade-_platekrana-ainava_-14296587

https://pilsetas.lv/pasakumi/girta-boronovska-izstade-platekrana-ainava