Azernews.Az

By Laman Ismayilova

The National Carpet Museum is playing host to an exhibition ​"Two Juliuses", named after the art contest of the same name being held in Gulbene​ since 2018, Azernews reports.

The contest celebrates the rich legacy left by Julius​ Straume​ and Julius​ Madernieks,​ well-known​ artists born in​ Gulbene.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Carpet Museum Director Shirin Malikova noted that her museum had been planning this exhibition since 2017.

Shirin Malikova recalled that the museum annually participates in the festival dedicated to Julius​ Straume​ and Julius​ Madernieks, who laid the foundation of the Latvian professional applied art and design in the first half of the last century.

The name of Julius​ Straume​ is​ also​ linked with Azerbaijani carpet weaving. The Caucasus Handicraft Committee was established in Tiflis in 1899. Many workshops worked under its auspices, including those on the territory of modern Azerbaijan.

From 1907 to 1923, J.​ Straume​ worked for the Caucasus Crafts Committee in Tiflis as a senior artist. He regularly organized ethnographic expeditions all over the Caucasus, collecting sketches and photos of folk handicrafts especially those with carpet ornaments.

Julius​ Straume​ also put into practice the idea of transferring carpet sketches to graph paper as a technical assignment for the carpet weavers working at home.

His drawings and sketches represent a valuable heritage that preserves a unique part of the Azerbaijani carpet weaving history.

The exhibition displays the reproductions of the author's drawings, where one can observe the Caucasus and oriental influence, art deco, and national romanticism motifs. The originals of these works are kept at the Druvienas Old School Museum, the Gulbene Municipality History and Art Museum, the Latvian National Art Museum, and the Art Palace of Georgia - the Museum of Cultural History.

Contemporary textile works and porcelain artworks based on sketches by J.​ Straume​ and J.​ Madernieks, constitute a significant part of the exhibition that includes scarfs, towels, socks, and gloves created by the masters of​ the Gulbene Folk Applied Art Studio Sagsa, as well as by its director ​Biruta​ Akmentina; porcelain decorated by artist​ Inese​ Brants (Latvia), and carpets created by Professor at Tabriz Islamic Art University Karim​ Mirzaee and his students.

The art project was co-organized by the National Carpet Museum in partnership with the​ Gulbene Municipality History and Art Museum, the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, the Latvian National Art Museum, the Gulbene​ Art School, and the Art Palace of Georgia – Museum of Cultural History within the support of the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry, the Latvian Embassy in Azerbaijan and the Latvian State Cultural​ Capital Foundation.

Furthermore, Ruta​ Rinka, curator of the Latvian Textile Art Collection of the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design delivered a lecture on Latvian textiles within the framework of the exhibition.

Specialists of the​ Gulbene​ Art School and the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum presented the kids' programs designed especially for this exhibition.

The exhibition was met with great interest by the children. Recall that the exhibition ​"Two Juliuses" will run until January 6, 2023.

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