Vija Celmins

Vija Celmins is an artist that was born on October 25, 1938 in Riga, Latvia. Vija Celmins immigrated to the United States with her family from Latvia when she was ten years old. She and her family settled in Indiana. Celmins received international attention early in her career for her renditions of natural scenes, often painted from photographs lacking a point of reference, horizon, or discernible depth of field.


Celmins' early work includes paintings of such commonplace objects as TVs, lamps, and black and white photographs. Celmins is now internationally known for her later works which are often realistic paintings and drawings. Celmins has also worked with print media since the early 1960s, again working closely with the natural environment. Celmins's work demonstrates a remarkably close engagement with the natural world mediated by photography.


-O.D.

 Vija Celmins' Comet is a very interesting painting. What I was blown away by was that she actually spent a year on this piece. What was interesting from class was that that she would literally spend hours darkening an area, add a star, look at it, and realize she didn't like it and would re-darken it. I thought her patience for this work was amazing. She really takes her art seriously and takes her time reviewing and retouching every little aspect. 


I actually like her work because it is very realistic. The comet and spider-web are great pieces of work and the detail she puts into them is just amazing. Her is very natural and is able to been seen in nature or a realistic setting. I really like her work and commend her for her patience and love for her work. 


- Owen