Romans Suta

Place: Dzērbene Parish Near Cēsis

Born: 1896

Death: 1944

Biography:

Romans Suta (28 April 1896 – 14 July 1944) was a Latvian painter, graphic artist, stage designer and art theoretician. He spent his childhood in Valka where his father owned a shop. He studied in a Realschule in Pskov but never graduated because he together with his brother fled to Riga in 1910 and about a year they worked on a merchant ships as cabinboys. In 1913 he decided to become a painter and started studies in Jūlijs Madernieks studio in Riga where his sister already studied. Soon after he was accepted into Riga City Art school where he studied under Vilhelms Purvītis and Jānis Tilbergs. During this period he became close friend with Jēkabs Kazaks one of the first Latvian modernists. He was forced to left Art school in 1915 when due to First World War his family evacuated to St. Petersburg. While in Russia, Suta resumed his studies in Penza city Art school where he met many other Latvian painters. Among them were Konrāds Ubāns, Jēkabs Kazaks and Voldemārs Tone. It was also here in Penza where Suta met Russian painter Aleksandra Belcova his future wife. In August 1917 Romans Suta...