20.02.2025 – 11.05.2025
The horse is a magnificent animal that holds an important place in global culture. With more than 200 breeds worldwide, the development of civilisation would be unimaginable without the horse – an intelligent and powerful creature. For centuries, people have admired its nobility; horses submit to humans while retaining their pride and greatness.
The exhibition Galloping Through the Clouds is composed of artworks from the private collection of the owners of the Art Platz Gallery, aiming to showcase a world where humans and horses coexist in harmony with their surrounding reality. The exposition includes paintings, watercolours, graphic works, sculptures, plastic arts, as well as decorative and applied art objects reflecting their time's reality and cultural context.
Domesticated thousands of years ago, horses became a human's faithful friend and companion. Saddling the horse, humans obtained its strength and power, which allowed us to cultivate the land, explore the world, achieve great conquests. The allure of the horse is universal; admiration for its image is expressed not only in literature, art, and cinema but also in folklore, folk epics, myths, legends, religious beliefs, and sacred rituals. The image of the horse is transcendental. A rider on a horse is a universal symbol of victory over evil and death. The horse symbolises power, status, and triumph — an indispensable ally of military leaders and rulers.
Horses have always held a special place in art, from Paleolithic cave paintings to the present day. The exhibition Galloping Through the Clouds features over 60 artists with artworks covering the period from the end of the 19th century to the present. The collection primarily showcases Latvian painters, whose depictions of the horse vary in artistic and stylistic manners, reflecting realistic and metaphorical interpretations of this noble animal.
The exhibition is divided into several thematic sections: scenes of domestic and rural life featuring working horses, passages, horse portraits, cavalry, hunting, sports, and leisure. The exhibition presents the works of classical painters Jēkabs Bīne, Konrāds Ķikuts and Ludolfs Liberts with a poetic vision of rural life. In the genre of horse portraiture, the works of Jānis Lauva stand out. Unlike typical commissioned pieces featuring purebred horses for horse breeders, the artist depicted village horses, harmoniously integrating them into the Latvian landscape. The grace and strength of the horse are embodied in the monumental paintings by Valters Uzticis and Reinholds Kasparsons.
In art, the horse is most often associated with the genre of battle scenes, which remained one of the most significant directions in academic painting until the early 20th century. Later, this tradition was gradually replaced by depicting horse races, highlighting its role in sports. The military and sporting worlds are intertwined: many modern equestrian disciplines are based on the military training of cavalry units, which has also been reflected in the artists' works. The dynamic and speed of the horse are expressively captured in battle scenes by Ādams Alksnis, as well as in the horse racing scenes at the hippodrome by Jānis Rikmanis.
In the works of contemporary artists, the horse is an archetypal image for exploring concepts of identity, strength, and independence. Initially cast for the Riga Hippodrome, the "golden" bronze horse head has become a unique art object by hyperrealist Kalvis Zālītis, connecting several historical narratives. The horse's energy characterises the works by neo-expressionist Ivars Heinrihsons, its hypnotic strength, and its primal spirit. The galloping horses he depicted fill the space with dynamism and vitality while simultaneously symbolising the inner self and human desires.
The exhibition Galloping Through the Clouds is an invitation to reflect on the coexistence of humans and horses, awaken interest in equestrian culture and bring together passionate horse enthusiasts. The grace, speed, beauty, and strength of the horse, captured in the artworks, emphasise not only the aesthetic appeal of this noble animal but also its significant role in human life.
Featured artists: Ādams Alksnis, Emma Baltmane, Jēkabs Bīne, Mikhail Bulanov, Konstantin Burov, Kārlis Dobrājs, Maija Dragūne, Eduards Dzenis, Arvīds Egle, Alberts Filka, Vasily Grachev, Laimonis Grasmanis, Anna Grosberga, Zigurds Gustiņš, Ivars Heinrihsons, Egils Hermanovskis, Teodors Jankevics, Vitolds Kačerovskis, Vitālijs Kalvāns, Reinholds Kasparsons, Nikolajs Krivošeins, Pēteris Kundziņš, Konrāds Ķikuts, Jānis Lauva, Dmitrijs Lavrentjevs, Ludolfs Liberts, Herberts Mangolds, Sergejs Masļakovs, Kārlis Mednis, Eduards Metuzāls, Māris Ozoliņš, Lidija Palepa-Ubāne, Jānis Pauļuks, Broņislavs Pavlovskis, R. Pelēkais, Rūdolfs Pētersons, Oto Pladers, Pēteris Postažs, Vladislava Pugačova, Jānis Rikmanis, Janis Rozentāls, Vineta Sayer, Oļģerts Saldavs, Viktor Simov, Ārijs Skride, Jēkabs Alfrēds Strazdiņš, Romans Suta, Žanis Sūniņš, Roberts Šterns, Aleksandrs Štrāls, Ruta Štrodaha, Jānis Titāns, Jānis Ferdinands Tīdemanis, Valters Uzticis, Harijs Veldre, Konstantin Vysotsky, Wilhelm Zwick, Zariņa, Aleksandrs Zaurbeks-Sosijevs, Kalvis Zālītis, Indriķis Zeberiņš, Solomon Zelihman, Māra Zītare, Aleksands Zviedris.
