Augustus Julla (also known as Augustus Julla-Jurla; December 27, 1872 in “Jullas” homestead in Liepa parish – May 27, 1958 in Cēsis) was an outstanding Latvian artist, ceramicist, sculptor, teacher and community activist whose diverse contributions significantly influenced the cultural history of Cēsis and all of Latvia. His creative life spanned more than 50 years, during which he expressed himself not only as a creator of artworks, but also as an education system reformer, researcher and tireless community activist.
Born into a wealthy farming family, Augustus encountered clay as a material early in childhood, working in his father Jānis Jurla’s brick kiln, where he often made various animals from clay. This early experience later became the foundation for his professional work in ceramics. He began his education at Liepa parish school, where he studied until 1887, and in 1893 obtained teaching qualifications at Cēsis city school. Augustus Julla’s professional path began with teaching at various schools in Vidzeme – from 1893 to 1896 he worked at Lubāna public school, and from 1896 to 1898 at Alūksne parish school. During this time, he already began showing interest in art education and folk creative heritage.
His desire to develop in the field of art led him to Riga, where in 1900 he enrolled in Benjamin Blum’s drawing school. During this time, he also actively participated in the work of the Riga Latvian Society, drew vignettes for magazines “Austrums” and “Vārds,” created designs for flags and altar cloths, as well as drawings for postcards. These works demonstrate his ability to adapt to different art genres and techniques.
Thanks to a scholarship from the Riga Latvian Society’s Science Commission, from 1906 to 1912 Augustus Julla studied at the Stieglitz Central Technical Drawing School in St. Petersburg, where under Professor Karl Köhler he earned a first-class ceramicist artist degree and the right to teach drawing in high schools. This education later became the foundation for his extensive work in art pedagogy and ceramics. During his studies, he gained not only artistic skills but also principles of pedagogy, which later helped him become an excellent teacher and school founder.
Augustus Julla was a man with “volcanic energy,” as described by his student Arturs Dronis. Significant artworks were created by his hands, he founded schools and led many community activities. His work is also characterized by an inexhaustible interest in new art forms and the desire to introduce them into Latvian culture. He not only researched and created art, but also actively educated society about its importance and value.
Also worth mentioning is the impressive festival decoration created by A. Julla on May 1, 1919 in Cēsis, at Convent Square (nowadays Unity Square) – approximately 7 meters high temporary monument that depicted a white stone pyramid split by a red wedge. This work, although politically controversial, shows the artist’s ability to create monumental, symbolically powerful and contemporary art objects.
In 1919, he established the Cēsis Industrial Society, Liepa parish cooperative, and evening craft courses in Cēsis, which in January 1920 were transformed into Latvia’s first craft school – Cēsis State Craft School (now Vidzeme Technology and Design Technical School). The founding of this school was a significant event in Latvia’s educational history, as it was the first specialized craft school where, under Augustus Julla’s leadership, new teaching principles were introduced, combining practical craft skills with artistic education. His goal was to create a modern educational institution that would combine craft and art education, although this idea was not fully realized. Until 1923, he was its director, later continuing to work as a teacher until his retirement in 1936. His pedagogical work educated a whole generation of Latvian artists and craftsmen, including Vilis Vasariņš, Arturs Dronis and Jānis Rozenbergs.
20th century. In the early 20th century, Augustus Julla conducted important research on Latvian domestic crafts and handicrafts, traveling to craftsmen’s homesteads in Vidzeme, studying work methods and customs. From 1904 to 1907, he visited craftsmen’s homesteads in Vidzeme, drawing their tools and finished products. His research on straw chair domestic production and clay pottery domestic crafts in Vidzeme is still used as an important source in the study of these industries’ history. These studies were the first scientific works of this kind in Latvia and provided a unique insight into Latvian folk material culture and craft traditions. In his published writings, he not only described the existing situation but also provided recommendations for industry development, emphasizing the importance of artistic quality in craft works.
In ceramics, Augustus Julla worked in the early 20th century, creating decorative vessels with Art Nouveau-style plastic plant, animal and water element motifs. After his father’s death in 1912, he paid out his relatives’ inheritance portions and set up a ceramic workshop in the brick kiln, which operated in the 1920s until it closed due to financial circumstances. Among his most significant works are a large vase with flowing water currents and fish depictions, and a decorative vessel with a crab. He experimented with new techniques, including luster glazes, which was an innovative approach to ceramic finishing.
Augustus Julla is the author of two monumental memorials. In 1927, his memorial to fallen soldiers from 1915 to 1920 was unveiled at Lejas Cemetery in Cēsis. This memorial has two sides – the side facing the gate shows soldier and guard figures in relief, the opposite side – a mother with fallen sons. In the mother’s face, A. Julla immortalized his own mother Sapa’s features, thus connecting personal experience with national tragedy. At a time when the Riga Brothers’ Cemetery and Freedom Monument were not yet built, the memorial was significant on a national level as one of the sculptural Independence War memorials.
In 1935, his second major work was unveiled – a memorial to the 1919 Cēsis battles and the fallen Latvian and Estonian soldiers in Liepa, which popularly became known as “The Plowman.” The creation of this memorial was complicated and took six years, but the result – a 10-meter high cellular stone rock with an engraved image of a Latvian peasant soldier, who rests one hand on a plow while holding a sword high in the other – became an important symbol of Latvia’s freedom fights. His father’s death mask was used in creating the face, giving the work a deep personal dimension.
Augustus Julla’s life changed tragically after World War II. In 1946, as a property owner, he was sentenced to two years in prison with partial confiscation of property after being framed for tax evasion. Then on March 25, 1949, Augustus Julla and his wife Milda were deported to Siberia, to the village of Kolominskiye Grivi in the Chainsky district of Tomsk region. The deportation resulted in the loss of not only the farm cultivated for generations but also many of the artist’s works. In Siberia, he became depressed, longed for his homeland, and composed the poem “Folklore of Liepa Hill,” which reflected his pain for his lost homeland and family home.
Augustus Julla and his wife returned from Siberia in the autumn of 1956, but could not return to their native home as others were already living there. He spent the rest of his life in Rauna, at Baižkalns Mūri with his wife’s brother Pēteris Kalniņš, where, despite the hardships he had experienced, he maintained his creative spirit.
Augustus Julla passed away on May 27, 1958, and is buried in Liepa Cemetery.
Newspaper “Druva” November 17, 2022, article by Kristīne Gertnere-Celma and Aivars Vilnis “Augustus Julla as a Driver of Social Progress”;
Newspaper “Druva” December 8, 2022, article by Kristīne Gertnere-Celma and Aivars Vilnis “Liepa Monument from Idea to Unveiling”;
Newspaper “Druva” December 30, 2022, article by Kristīne Gertnere-Celma and Aivars Vilnis “Following the Roots of Augustus Julla: ‘Jullas’ House in Liepa Parish”;
Newspaper “Druva” October 14, 2022, article by Kristīne Gertnere-Celma and Aivars Vilnis “Educator and School Founder – Augustus Julla”;
TimeNote – Augusts Julla Jurla
National Encyclopedia – Augusts Julla
Historia.lv – Julla-Jurla, Augusts
Cēsis Museum Collections
