Voldemārs Irbe
Voldemārs Irbe was a Latvian pastel painter, active in Riga throughout the 1920s and 1930s. Though he was well known for his odd behavior and disheveled appearance, leading him to be nicknamed "Barefoot Irbīte", Irbe's work was acclaimed by the Latvian art world both during and after his lifetime.
Life
In 1893, Irbe was born to a highly religious family in the Beļava Parish of Latvia's Valka district. After his family moved to Riga in 1904, Irbe enrolled in school, but he performed poorly and only showed interest in theology. Irbe's brother Jacob, noting Irbe's poor scholastic performance and interest in art, encouraged him to enroll in an art school instead. Consequently, Irbe entered the Drawing and Painting School at the Riga Decorative Painters' Art Society. Irbe took to art much more than he had to traditional schooling, and after his graduation he began working in the studio of.After the 1915 suicide of his father, Irbe took up employment at a local Orthodox monastery. The monastery was subsequently evacuated to the interior of Russia to avoid the dangers of World War I; Irbe accompanied them during these travels, which led him to see the cities of St. Petersburg and Moscow. Impressed by the art he saw in those cities, Irbe next attempted to travel to Egypt. However, this venture was unsuccessful, and he ultimately decided to return to Riga in 1919. Irbe was summoned for military service, but due to his personal convictions against violence, he was unwilling to serve; consequently, he declared himself "an idiot" so that he could be found mentally unfit for the army. Instead, Irbe pursued employment as an art teacher. He made three attempts to pursue a teaching career, but each proved unsuccessful due to his eccentric behavior and habitually shabby clothing.
After giving up on teaching, Irbe began to make a living by selling art. Most of the works he sold were very small pieces, as little as 3 × 4 cm, which Irbe could create quickly and sell for small amounts of money. Irbe also held private exhibitions of his art in the 1920s, which took place at his personal workshop. These exhibitions eventually earned Irbe some attention: in 1929 the Riga City Art Museum bought more than 50 of his works. In addition to his art, Irbe was interested in sharing his philosophical views, which he did through public lectures and short books. However, Irbe's low level of education prevented him from expressing his views lucidly, and so he never achieved much note in this field.
He also illustrated E. T. A. Hoffmann's book "Ritter Gluck" published by the publishing house Zelta Ābele. He has painted frescoes of the Latvian Orthodox Church of the Ascension in Riga.
During World War II, Riga was frequently bombed; Irbe was killed in one such bombing in 1944. A statue of Irbe was later erected near the site of his death.