On April 24, 1891, Jāzeps Grosvalds was born in Riga – one of the pioneers of Latvian classical modernism, a painter, graphic artist, and rifleman. In his short life of only 28 years, he created works about refugees, the Latvian Riflemen, and his Eastern experiences during the First World War. Grosvalds joined the language of European modern art with the drama of Latvian history, making war and displacement central themes in Latvian art.

Grosvalds belonged to the generation that redefined the themes and forms of Latvian art amid the upheavals of the First World War. His work influenced Valdemārs Tone, Konrāds Ubāns, Jēkabs Kazaks, Romans Suta, and other 20th-century Latvian modernists.