Biography of the artist- Mr. Leonids Linauts

 

Mr. Leonids Linauts, who designed and executed the fifty-two stained glass windows in Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, was born in Latvia on July 8, 1914.  At the age of fourteen, he entered a teachers’ institute, majoring in fine arts, including music.  After graduation, he taught fine arts for several years in schools and was conductor of mixed choirs, until he entered the Academy of Fine Arts in Riga, Latvia.  During intensive studies for seven years in various art classes and portrait painting, his interest turned to large-size executions, which led him to the master class of figure painting and murals.  At that time, the Fromhold Stained Glass Studio in Riga, Latvia, a leading studio of stained glass in Northern Europe, was looking for help in their art department.  Mr. Linauts, as a student, parallel to his academy work, joined the studio.

 

It was necessary to broaden his horizons of knowledge in the new field.  Two of his most outstanding teachers in this field were Professor P. Kundsins and Professor A. Antonovs, both professors of church architecture at the University of Latvia.  Very soon, special studies of Medieval French, German, and English stained glass were added to his studies, including church architecture, symbolism, and religions.

 

In 1949, Mr. Linauts arrived in the United States, as a refugee.  During the first three years here, he served as the supervisor and head of the art department of a stained glass studio in Reading, Pennsylvania.  In 1953, he established his own studio in Mohnton, four miles from Reading.  He received recognition from all denominations, and his windows are found in many churches in the eastern part of the United States.

 

Some of his work is part of the permanent collection in the Fine Arts Museum in Hagerstown, Maryland, and is also found in many private collections.

 

Mr. Linauts married Dainuvita Pludons of Riga, Latvia, on December 25, 1945 in Germany.  They immigrated to the United States in 1949.  Mr. Linauts passed away on June 19, 1998.