Kama Sutra [Art Album]

Issued in limited print run of 401 numbered and signed by the artist copies. High quality printing on coated paper.

The book is in Near Fine condition; hard embossed quality possessory cover from about 80s is well preserved with only minor wear on the spine ends; internally small stain (about 1,5 cm in diameter) on the bottom margin on four pages (text remained untouched), fingerprints mainly at the lower outer corner of the pages. 

Folio "Kama Sutra" realtes to erotic pearls of art in the field of books graphics created by outstanding Sigismunds Vildbergs in later period of his career. Edition was limited to 401 copies, some of the copies were numbered and signed by artist. Beneficiaries full list is included at the end of the book. Current copy is unnumbered and unsigned, presumably subscription-based publication was not bought out. In present work artist was inspired with ancient Indian literature. The book provides most important extracts from Kama Sutra texts in Latvian translation by Richards Berzins, which are masterfully visualized by artist. Richly illustrated album includes 10 full-paged drawings and 5 smaller drawings on Orientalist themes made with Indian ink techniques. Furthermore each page is decorated with wonderful oriental vignettes. Erotic motifs are created in resplendent Art Deco style, what cultivated the cult of beauty. The airy elegance with an emphasis on the perfection, sensuousness and sexuality made Vidbergs' erotic creations the greatest in Latvian art of 1920-1930s years. 

The virtuoso of Latvian graphic art, Latvian grand master of modernism Sigismunds Vidbergs (1890-1970) created his first erotic compositions in 1910s. His intellectual and stylistic development was affected by Decadent movement, whose representatives considered sexuality as a primary source of artistic creation. Until 1920s artist was close to the modernist style, later continued in Jugendstyle, but changed this into Art Deco in the second half of the 1920s. Erotic imagery he created places him among Latvia's most important Ard Deco artists. Vidbergs' courageous art provoked public moral outrage, but his position in the Latvian art scene remained strong.