Vakars Vecrīgā. 1964

Curator: It has such a wonderfully somber feel; like stepping into a half-remembered dream. Editor: Indeed. The artist, Guntis Strupulis, created this charcoal and pencil drawing in 1964. It is titled "Vakars Vecrīgā," which translates to "Evening in Old Riga." Curator: The texture reminds me of old photographs, a patina of age and loss clinging to the buildings themselves. Note how the darkness almost swallows the lone figure along the water's edge. Editor: Yes, that lone figure. Is it walking toward us or away from us? And how does the cityscape's institutional framework and Soviet restrictions of the 1960s reflect onto it, socially and culturally? Curator: The figure certainly serves as a mirror, each viewer may see their reflection depending on personal experiences, as the city remains unchanging behind it. Riga itself carries a strong symbolic charge for Latvians, embodying resilience and continuity. Does Strupulis mean to evoke these qualities? Editor: Or perhaps, something less triumphant? Realism was promoted but its content was carefully monitored, serving Soviet political objectives. We might well ask what the drawing omits. Where is any sign of industry or communal activity? There is such potent absence within that dreamlike realism you evoked. Curator: I can’t deny that, it also brings me to consider symbols of isolation and quiet endurance amid broader forces. And what do the illuminated windows signify here? Glimmers of hope or merely an artist's touch against an otherwise dim environment? Editor: Considering the restrictions in place, I think we can agree that their symbolism is far from straightforward. Instead, we must admire Strupulis’ ability to invoke reflection with minimal means. Curator: An invitation to the intimate stories hidden behind those walls... Well put. An invitation extended even now, several decades later. Editor: Precisely. This artwork quietly attests to art’s capability of bearing witness to society even under the rigid ideological and practical frameworks.