Jautrīte Putniņa monument "Eternal Grand Piano"

As the bird lifts its wings to fly, Jautrītes soul was uplifted by the sounds of this wing-like music instrument – the grand piano. Jautrīte was convinced that music was the bridge to eternity. One of the most outstanding Latvian 20th-century musicians, pianist Jautrīte Putniņa, wrote in her diary: “Music is like a religion to me. The sound of music is my promised land. I feel safe. Protected. Happy. Needed. I do not doubt that there is eternal life – music convinces me of it every day. It is like the only bridge that connects this mundane world with the afterlife…”

The extraordinary human-size (1.75 m) grave monument is made of selective glass of two different shades. From each height, angle, side, the colour shifts creating a reference to Putniņas dynamic personality and rhythm of life.

Interestingly enough, the foreground of the beautiful glass monument contains not only the name, dates of the virtuoso artist but also the signature of the musician which, at first glance, without knowing the story, the viewer may merely see as a small, cheerful bird… which, in a sense, it is! Fun fact that Jautrīte has created this peculiar little bird, by playing with her first and last name, and has used as her signature all her life. A metal string on one side runs through the entire length of the monument symbolizing the humane, challenging, life as a string of an instrument. Music instrument strings invite us to play passionately, but caringly, so as not to break it prematurely. That’s the life of a human being – unpredictable, at sometimes tense and at other times calm and melodic. This was also the case for Jautrīte Putniņa.
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