Brekte Jānis

Painter, watercolorist.

Mainly worked with watercolors, less often – with oil painting technique. One of the most popular and most productive watercolorists of his time. In his early period he focused on the industrial landscape, in his late period – natural landscapes: he painted the water, forests, mountains as well as flowers and still life. He gained particular recognition with his painting of Riga and especially Riga’s Old Town in different seasons and moods. The watercolor works of Brekte are distinguished by a well-developed individual style of work which is characterized by free, loose floating, vibrant color accents and tendency to raise specific motifs to generalization.

Studied at drawing courses of Karlis Brencens(1936-1939), Art Academy of Latvia (1940-1948). In 1981 the artist was granted with the title Honored Art Worker of the Latvian SSR.

Since 1950 was a member of the Artists’ Union of Latvian SSR. Exhibited since 1943. Solo exhibitions – in Riga (1977, 1980), Jelgava (1981). Memorial exhibitions in Cesis (1986), Riga (1991, 1992).

Source:
Burāne, I. Brekte, Jānis in Māksla un arhitektūra biogrāfijās, I. Riga, Latvijas enciklopēdija, 1995, p.82