A lifetime of pictures

  • 2008-10-29
  • By Sarah Mackie

THE FACE OF LATVIA: Kuprijanovs spent 50 years capturing Latvia's icons.

RIGA - Somebody once said that a photograph is memory in the raw.  The adage could have been written about the work of Juris Kuprijanovs, photographer of the stars and photographer of the changing faces of Latvia.
The 71-year-old artist, who dedicated his life to the arts and who has exhibited world wide, is showcasing his work in Riga in conjunction with the 90th anniversary Jubilee festivities.
And his photographs couldn't be more poignant for this event as they categorically reveal 50 years of tribulation and triumph for this beloved country.

Although Russian born, Kuprijanovs has lived in Latvia since 1945 and was inspired by the sights of this beautiful country.  But he was inspired by more than just the buildings and the landscape. Kuprijanovs has a fascination with celebrity and has spent the majority of his 50 year long career snapping away at the likes of Gina Lollobrigida, Eduards Smilgis, Maris Liepa and world class ballerinas.
To the artist, it is not merely celebrity he has a fascination with, it's humanity in general.
"I consider the man to be the main character in my works.  The man who is the stream of events, his activities and moods.  I try to depict the man as a representative of his time, the man in the world of feelings.  I try to show him as he is, without trying to embellish anything," he said.

A conclusive collection of his Riga pictures, celebrity portraits and ballerinas, can be seen from Oct. 23 at gallery 'Antonija,' 22 Antonijas iela, Riga.  The exhibition will be open to the public until mid-November. o