THE ART LABORATORY
Leonid Baulin (Latvia)
Marking the 80th anniversary of Leonid Baulin (1945–2002), an artist whose creativity blossomed in Daugavpils throughout the 1970s, 80s and 90s, this exhibition presents select artworks from his family’s private collection. Several pieces in the selection have never been seen by the public.
Baulin’s oeuvre is distinguished by its remarkable breadth. In painting, he emphasised the subtle interplay of form and the fleeting qualities of light. His graphic output is equally striking, notable for its thematic diversity and refined lines. It is within the graphic medium that Baulin developed a distinctive and expressive artistic voice. His graphic pieces evoke a world shaped by extraordinary spatial dynamics and skilful geometric stylisation, all delicately laced with playful irony and lyricism.
Art historian Ksenija Rudzīte captures the standout qualities of his work in the following terms:
“For every artist, the graphic medium is a creative laboratory where ideas take shape, technical mastery is refined, and new methods are explored. Leonid Baulin brought his visions to life both on canvas and paper – through drawings, pastels, and watercolours. His experiments and discoveries in the graphic field are, on occasion, even more compelling than his finished paintings. The 1990s marked the height of his graphic output. Though graphic art often leans towards intimacy and a chamber‑like quality, it was here that Baulin’s flair for ornament and decoration fully flourished. His experience with large-scale murals, theatrical sets, and interior design honed his sense of compositional clarity and precision while enhancing his sensitivity to space and rhythm. His drawings are at once expressive, elegant, and weightless. Through fluid, unforced penwork, Baulin crafted a unique vision of the world, where lines, shapes, and empty spaces engage in a dynamic dance, intersecting, converging, and swaying in a smooth, perpetual flow.”
Leonid Baulin was born in 1945 in Cherepovets, Russia. The family moved to Daugavpils in 1951. From an early age, he showed a keen interest in drawing, nurturing his talent through local art clubs. Between 1959 and 1962, Baulin studied at the Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod) Art School, where he first encountered avant-garde art. In 1968, he enrolled in the Pedagogy Department at the Art Academy of Latvia, eventually transferring to the Scenography Department in his third year. After graduating in 1973, Baulin returned to Daugavpils, where he would spend the rest of his creative life.
Baulin’s creative output spanned monumental painting, scenography, and interior decoration. In 1982, he was admitted to the Latvian Artists Union. Alongside his artistic practice, Baulin taught painting and composition at the Daugavpils Children’s Art School and led the Decorative Design Department at the “Saules Skola” Art College. From 1972 onward, he exhibited his work regularly and played an active role in the Daugavpils Regional Artists Association. Today, Baulin’s works are held in museums across Latvia and multiple private collections locally and internationally.
The exhibition is on view at the Rothko Museum from 30 May to 24 August 2025.
Publicity image: Leonid Baulin. “At Home”. Oil on canvas. 96 x 80 cm (detail). 1998
