V. Purvitis is considered the founder of the Latvian national school of landscape painting.

Born on March 3, 1872 in Zaube District (Latvia), died on January 14, 1945 in Bad Nauheim (Germany); reburied in Riga in 1994.

Painter. Studied at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts (1890 - 1897). Received the Grand Gold Medal Award upon graduation from Russian painter A. Kuindzhi’s Landscape Painting Workshop. Member of the artist associations “Rukis”, "Mir iskusstva", "Kunstverein". V. Purvitis is considered the founder of the Latvian national school of landscape painting.

During his lifetime, he accomplished significant educational and administrative work, headed the Riga City Art School (1909 - 1915), founded the Latvian Academy of Arts and was its first Rector (1919 - 1934), headed the Landscape Painting Workshop (1921 - 1944), the Visual Arts Workshop at the Faculty of Architecture, the University of Latvia (1919 - 1940), the Riga City Art Museum (1919 - 1940, 1941 - 1944); academician of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts (1913). A Bronze Medal at the World Exhibition in Paris (1900), Gold medallist at the exhibition of Münich Secession (1901), holder of the Fatherland's Award (1938).

In 1994, he emigrated to Germany.