The exhibition “Jānis Krēsliņš – the Explorer of the Latvian Traditional Culture Values” is opened to visitors until March, 13.
Artist, photographer, writer, an active public figure, glowing collector of folklore. One of the pioneers, who invited to organize ethnographic expeditions to Latgale region.
Jānis Krēsliņš was born on October 20, 1865, in Vidzeme province Valka district Alūksne church parish Alsviķi parish Kuški farmstead. He began his education at Alsviķi Ķemers parish school and later continued to study at the master of the Rīga Painter’s guild Julius Robert Zelewitz.
Jānis Krēsliņš was an enthusiastic collector of folklore and folk traditions: while travelling though Vidzeme and Latgale regions he kept records that later were published in newspapers “Dienas Lapa”, “Dienas Lapas Pielikums” and “Etnogrāfiskas ziņas par latviešiem” as the following articles “Latvju plostnieki” (Latvian rafters) (1890), “Malienas māmuliņu atmiņas iz senseniem laikiem” (Memories about ancient times of old women from Maliena) (1891), the description of folk traditions and beliefs: “Bluķa svētki Inflantijā” (Log festival in Inflanty) (1889) and “Inflantijas latviešu ticējumi par dzīvību un nāvi” (Inflantian Latvians’ beliefs about life and death) (1891), as well as two original stories “Broņislava” (1892) and “Nora” (1892). In 1888, 1890 and 1891 three volumes with compilation of Latvian legends “Latviešu teikas iz Malienas” (Latvian legends from Maliena) selected by Jānis Krēsliņš were issued by Pēteris Bērziņš publishing house.
In 1894 and 1895 Jānis Krēsliņš participated in expeditions to different regions of Latvia organized by the Science Committee of Rīga Latvian Society with an aim to collect materials for the Latvian ethnographic exhibition, which was held in 1896 in Rīga as a part of the 10th All-Russian archaeological congress. The tasks of the expeditions were to collect as complete as possible sets of household items and tools, to observe the local social life, customs, to take pictures and to draw ancient dwelling houses in countryside in the Vidzeme, Kurzeme and Latgale regions, as well as local residents in their traditional clothing. In total 11 expeditions to various regions of Latvia were held. Jānis Krēsliņš participated in four of them: in the summer of 1894 he together with engineering student Krišjānis Zīvarts and teacher Pēteris Ābols or Abuls (who was publishing with pseudonym Tālivaldis) went on an expedition through the western and northern Vidzeme. On Christmas of 1894 Jānis Krēsliņš went to collect material in the surroundings of Nīca, Bārta, Rucava and Palanga. On Easter of 1895 Jānis Krēsliņš went to Alsunga, Turlava, Rumba and Snēpele parishes where the villages of the so called Curonian kings were located (Kalēji, Ķoniņi, Pliķi, Ziemeļi, Dragūni and Viesalgi villages). In the summer and autumn of 1895 Jānis Krēsliņš travelled through Latgale, the eastern and central Vidzeme.
In the collection of the National History Museum of Latvia there are 79 watercolours and oil paintings by Jānis Krēsliņš: scenic views of Latvian peasant dwelling houses and ancillary buildings, plans, details of heating devices and ornaments, layout plans of the buildings, ancient property signs, national costumes of various regions, ruins of the Bauska medieval Castle, Salaca castle mound and the coats of arm of the Curonian kings. In the museum’s collection there are also 296 photographs taken by Jānis Krēsliņš. They depict the residents of the countryside in their everyday and festive clothes. The photographs taken in Nīca, Bārta, Rucava and the villages of the Couronian kings depict people in their traditional clothes. On the other side of the photographs Jānis Krēsliņš had written down the data of the depicted person: age, height, hair and eye colour, shoulder width, chest and head circumference, face length, palm length and width.
Commemorating the 150-year anniversary of Jānis Krēsliņš the museum presents a little insight into his heritage. There are still a lot of unknown facts about Jānis Krēsliņš – there is no photograph depicting him and also his date of death and burial place is unknown. It is known that from 1898 to 1916 Jānis Krēsliņš with his wife Kristīne Krēsliņa (born Zandersone) and their four children lived in North Caucasus, later in the 1920-ies – in the Soviet Union, in Leningrad.