Iltner, Edgar

(Edgars Iltners). Born Mar. 3, 1925, in the khutor (privately owned homestead) of Buriki, present-day Liepaja Raion, Latvian SSR. Soviet painter. Honored Art Worker of the Latvian SSR (1963).

Iltner studied at the Academy of Arts of the Latvian SSR in Riga under O. Skulme and E. Kalnins from 1949 to 1956, becoming a professor there in 1960. In his works Iltner strives for a generalized philosophical interpretation of contemporary Soviet themes. His pictures are marked by a clear rhythmic composition and a strict color scheme. Among his works are The Husbands Return (1957), Immortality (1968), Masters of Earth (1960), and Calloused Hands (1962), all in the Art Museum of the Latvian SSR in Riga. The last two paintings were awarded the State Prize of the Latvian SSR in 1965. Iltner has been the chairman of the Union of Artists of the Latvian SSR since 1968.