Lidija

Lidija Auza "Self-Portrait 1964" private collection

Lidija Auza (1914-1989) was born in Vitebsk, Belarus, of Latvian parentage. She studied at the Art Academy of Latvia, under the guidance of artist Jānis Liepiņš.  Her graduating thesis piece was a scene from the ballet entitled "Ballet Rehearsal" and dance was a continuing theme in her work throughout her life. As well as continuing to paint, she worked as an art teacher, a designer and also an illustrator. She was a member of the Latvian Artists' Union, and exhibited frequently at galleries in Latvia.

Aleksandra Beļcova "Portrait of Lidija Auza" 1957 Latvian National Museum of Art

Aleksandra Beļcova (1892-1881) was born in the Ukraine but spent the greater part of her life in Latvia. (note: this is an area of the world where the borders have shifted several times. Not only that, different ethnic groups have moved from one country to another, or been forced to move, as the borders changed, due to cultural tensions.) Beļcova was married to artist Roman Suta. The couple played vital and important roles in the aesthetic development of Latvia.

note: Each of these artists seems to have many different spellings for their name, obviously transliterations. While not a Cyrillic language, the Latvian standard alphabet consists of 33 letters, using 22 of the 26 latin letters, and adding in an additional 11 modified letters. So there is some inconsistency when translating into English.  Latvian speakers should feel free to contact me with any suggestions/corrections.