Brief Biography-Jēkabs Kazaks, born in Riga, began his initial art studies under July Madernieks before studying at the Riga Art School under Vilhelms Purvītis. When the Riga school closed, he went to the Penza Art School in Russia. In 1916, he went to Moscow, where he encountered impressionism, futurism, and the works of the old masters. One of his main Latvian influences was the art of Jāzeps Grosvalds. In 1915, he worked with the Latvian Refugee Supply Committee; this was a period that would have inspired his refugee paintings. In 1918, he went to the city of Aluksne, where he lectured on art history alongside teaching drawing and art. A year later, back in Riga, he was involved with The Expressionist Group, which became the Riga Artist’s Group, and he became the first Chairman. He died of tuberculosis in 1920.