Skulme was born in Jēkabpils, Courland Governorate, one of ten children.

[1] He studied at the Faculty of Law, the St. Petersburg University, in Russia, and the School of Imperial Society for the Fostering of Art (between 1913 and 1914), the Architecture Department at the St.Petersburg Academy of Arts (1914 - 1916) and the Painting Department under K. Petrov-Vodkin.

Stylistically he was a Cubist and has been compared to Aleksandra Belcova for his use of the static form, cool range of colours, thin layer of paint and a sheen close to the metal surface with the accent on drawing.

Skulme was drafted into the army during World War I and then returned to Russia as an art teacher.

In addition to this he was a contributor to the Daugava magazine and the editorial staff member of the Latvian Encyclopedia between 1928 and 1940.