Search

The paper offers a general overview of the Lithuanian art historical research published during the three decades of Independence (1990-2020). The paper discusses the changes in institutional and academic life, the spectrum of methodological approaches, as well as the key art theoretical publications and their authors. The overview aims to assess the current situation in the art historical discipline and fascilitate the debates around the question whether Lithuania has managed to develop its own school of art theory. The analysis of the publications (mostly monographs) by the Lithuanian art theorists has conclusively shown that such school does already exist. In terms of its organisation, Lithuanian art theoretical school matches all the academic criteria: education is provided at all levels, and the dissemination and continuity of research, both empirical and theoretical, are ensured. The school has already gone through two or even three phases of development. The first stage, spanning between 1990 and 1998/99, was rich with significant achievements in the sector of education: it saw the launch of the first art theory doctorate programme in Lithuania, as well as the establishment of the Institute of Art Research, and the Vilnius Academy of Arts Publishing House. During the period, Kaunas Vytautas Magnus University launched their art theory programme, while the Culture and Art Institute in Vilnius had acquired two art theory departments. The second stage (2000-2010/12) saw a rapid growth of the number of publications, widening of the art theoretical specialisation, and further development of research methodologies. Along with the formal analysis and methodologies of iconography and iconology, came the outlines of social art history. All the spheres of art history became equipped with various methods of source research and interpretation. Among the main fields of research were the history of ecclesiastic and devotional art (patronage and heritage of mansions and urbanite art). One of the leading research problems of the time - the relation of text and image. The third stage covers the period of 2010-2020, and instead of the focus on the oldest examples of art historical heritage to the art of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. In Lithuania, the methodological innovations started gradually taking root only after the year 2000, therefore there are still many possibile routes to explore. Most texts emoploy a combination of different methodologies, varying between iconology, phenomenology, and semiotics. This helps the research to better grasp the multiplicitous nature of the analysed phenomena, although this sometimes comes at the expense of the narrational coherence and constructiveness of conclusions. The Lithuanian school is predominantly national-based. This has many advantages, although sometimes this makes it difficult to distribute the research internationally. Despite all the developments within the Lithuanian art history as a discipline, international collaboration via conferences, projects, publishing, and media still leaves much to be desired. Due to the reliability of documented information, Lithuanian art historians are able to produce a particularly high level of in their work with sources. Rather than emerging as a circle of followers around a particular prominent individual, the Lithuanian art theoretical school is a result of a number of colleagues - art historians and critics - practicing mutual support and exchange of ideas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper offers an enquiry into masquerades as a social phenomenon. The peculiarity of masquerades--public events that emerged and were popularised in the 18th century--is that they provided different social classes with a unique opportunity to have fun together. The paper aims to research the structure of the 18th century society and identify the social changes that fuelled the demand to transcend the limits between social classes through this particular form of entertainment. By drawing on memoirs, fiction, and press reports, the paper analyses the function and social reception of masquerades. Even though the popularity of masquerades could be regarded as a sign of democratisation and diminishing of class barriers in society, these barriers remained very much present and obvious to everybody. Because the identities of people behind masks were unknown and participants were not permitted to bring any status-related attributes (such as weapons or servants), masquerades were creating an illusion of social equality. Yet this equality was rather ephemeral--the person's status was still often recognisable nonetheless and the aristocracy was not even attempting to hide it. The masquerade security forces were allowed to use their judgment and punish the wrongdoers according to their class. It is worth noting that, as masquerades were gradually gaining popularity, they were also subjected to "stratification": they adapted to the financial situations and demands of various social groups and, while becoming accessible to the poor, masquerades also introduced even greater social divisions. Masquerades were attractive primarily due to the unrestricted exploration of the possibilities of anonymity. They were based on the natural tendency to create illusions and tricks, which some saw as part of a controlled social game, while others saw them as a chance to hide their social status. The paper also concludes that, due to the mass character and the capacity to draw crowds from all social strata, masquerades were also used as tools of soft power: for example, in Vilnius, masquerades used to be organised by the officers of the Russian army deployed in the city at that time. This also served as a reason for debates about patriotism and treason. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual art in Vilnius of 1919-1939, as a whole, has not been studied until now. To a lesser extent, its level of study was determined by the difficult geopolitical situation in Vilnius. In the interwar years, Vilnius and its region were annexed by Poland. Subsequently, the peculiar artistic life of the city during this period and its results for a long time have been of little interest to Lithuanian researchers. This has led to a fragmented perception of Lithuania's art history, in which the interwar artistic life of Vilnius has still been marginalized. The aim of the article is to analyze the art formation processes of the interwar Vilnius, highlighting the direction and nature of the activities of its most important institutions (Faculty of Arts at Stephen Báthory University, Vilnius School of Crafts, Vilnius Association of Plastic Artists), and to discuss and evaluate their significance in the process of modernizing the city's culture. The paper raises a question of Poland's cultural policy in the interwar period: in which ways and by which means did it work in the field of art in Vilnius? It highlights that the art of the interwar period in Vilnius was dominated by the portrayal of historical architecture, while other spaces and themes were hardly touched - for example, there is a lack of images of suburban and modern lifestyle and daily life. The paper makes an assumption that it was the political and cultural situation in Vilnius that influenced the establishment of such a retrospective view. Only in the 1930s, with the transformation of Vilnius into a modern city of the Second Rzeczpospolita, its modern visual culture began to manifest itself more actively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the second half of the 18th century, Vilnius had four institutional printing houses: one was the Academia's press enterprise, and the other three belonged to the Piarist, Basilian and Franciscan congregations. Inspired by the ideas of Enlightenment, Vilnius institutional printing houses began to seek out new types of book design. The paper takes a close look at the illustrations of secular books printed in Vilnius during the second half of the 18th century. Secular illustrations of this period is still a largely under-researched area. Such research is key in revealing the interactions between the traditionally religious and the newly enlightened worldviews that circulated aroud the book culture of the Great Duchy of Lithuania at that time. The research focuses on the six illustrations from different secular books. Three illustrations come from the Piarist printing house: "The Allegory of Diplomacy" (engraved by Johanna Dorothea Philipp-Sysang) from the book published in 1758; "The Allegory of the Piarist School of Piety" (by the artist F. Moser), book published in 1774; and "The Allegory of Electricity" (engraver unknown) in the publication from 1786. Two illustrations appear in the books printed in 1781 by an academic printing house: "The Portrait of Lucius Anneus Seneca" (engraver unknown) and "The Exterior View of Vilnius University" (engraver unknown). One unauthored illustration-vignette in the book printed in 1791 by the Basilian printing house depicts a labouring child. The research sought to identify the symbols, subjects and iconographical origins of these illustrations. It turned out that two of the illustrations ("The Allegory of Electricity" and the view with Vilnius University) were original works made by the local artists. Meanwhile Seneca's portrait gives away the local author's personal preferce, as the type of the iconographical portrait he chose to imitate originates in the humanist reception of the stoicist philosophy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Referring to written and iconographical sources, this paper discusses celebrations to honour St. Casimir that took place in 1604 and 1636 in Vilnius and in 1636 in Palermo. The purpose is to reveal the particularities, similarities and differences between St. Casimir's festivities that were celebrated at the same time, but in different places, or at different times, but in the same place. St. Casimir's festivities in 1604 should be associated to celebrations characteristic to the canonisation of saints at the time. The 1636 festivities dedicated to the saint are related to the transference of his remains into a new titular chapel of the Vilnius Cathedral. The same year, in another part of Europe, St. Casimir was announced the patron saint of Palermo, and a great theatricalised celebration took place on that occasion. The paper tries to answer the following questions: do the festivities under different names (St. Casimir's Procession, St. Casimir's Triumph) that were celebrated for different purposes differ in their expression and artistic highlights? Does the character of festivities depend on the country's traditions and on the power of local foundators? Do personal pious intentions influence in any way the size, image and sound of festivities? What is the 'long-term value' of 17th century St. Casimir's festivities in Vilnius and Palermo? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper sets out to analyse the influence of the clothing ceremony of Vilnius Benedictine nuns as well as profession and consecration ceremonies on the décor and iconography of St. Catherine's Church. It will attempt to reveal how a specific art object illustrates and supports the ritual, and how a religious 'event' determines the contents and form of the object. The mystical engagement with the divine fiancée is a metaphor of the eternal vows of nuns. After having expressed their sacred will to follow Christ particularly closely, future nuns are dedicated to God, mystically engaged with Christ, the Son of God, and ordered to serve the Church by the bishop of their diocese through an appropriate liturgical ceremony. During the Baroque epoch the symbols of engagement acquired a wider expression and included not only the profession, but also clothing and consecration in Benedictine nunneries of Chełmno congregation; thus the act of mystical pledge took place even three times in a nun's life. It would be worth emphasising that in the 17th century Benedictines of the Chełmno congregation started to perform the clothing ceremony in the same solemn and public manner as the profession and consecration ceremony: first in Benedictine nunneries of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and later the tradition of solemn clothing spread also among the Benedictines of Poland. This was influenced by the text of Rule, which was renewed on the initiative of Vilnius bishop Eustachy Wołłowicz, which particularly emphasised preparations for noviciate and the beginning of noviciate. This Rule was delivered to Benedictine nunneries in the territory of Vilnius diocese in 1629. Solemn ceremonies of mystical engagement that used to take place in the Vilnius Benedictine nunnery - clothing, profession and consecration - inspired the iconography of three altars - St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilda and St. Catherine - in St. Catherine's Church. These altars used to be incorporated into the structure of celebrations and also fulfilled the function of a setting to the ceremony, which used to add ideas and meanings to the action of the mystical union. The altars were dedicated to those blessed virgins who embodied best the idea and purpose of mystical engagement and, through the example of their lives, showed how to follow this road of love to Christ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Funeral ceremonies and their traditions are a significant part of everyday life that reflects important aspects of a certain society's views. On the other hand, pompous funerals of noblemen and other famous people in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania often turned into extraordinary events and impressive celebrations; their décor also shows the particularities of the artistic culture of the time. The Bernardine Church in Vilnius and its churchyard was the favourite place of burials among townspeople from the very beginning. Unfortunately, only fragmented and very laconic data concerning funeral ceremonies before the 17th century have survived; the 17th-19th century left more information. Funerary traditions in this church partially illustrate more general traditions in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It is important that representatives of various classes of society used to be buried in the Bernardine churchyard: magnates, noblemen, craftsmen and merchants used to choose their eternal resting places here. The walls of this church, the churchyard and the Bernardine cemetery established in early 19th century have sheltered bodies of the friars themselves, Bernardine sisters, and many impoverished people of the city. There are various sources concerning funerals at the Bernardine Church, although they are quite fragmentary. These are the monuments that have survived in the church until our days and inscriptions of former monuments recorded in written sources; various messages in the convent's diaries and other documents about people buried in the church or in the churchyard; more extensive information on some funerals in written sources; funerary sermons; descriptions of hearses in church inventories and scarce iconographic sources. The paper attempts to systematise the information gathered from various sources on funeral ceremonies in this church, to reveal its character and discuss the features of artistic décor of such funerary ceremonies. It also tries to show how funeral ceremonies and the very place of burials were related to the social status of the buried person and other facts of social status and wealth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the restored portable altar of the Five Holy Wounds of Christ that was presented in the exhibition, "Christianity in Lithuanian Art" and restored at the P. Gudynas Center for Restoration. This altar reflects the artistic heritage of the Vilnius fraternities and is distinguished by its plastic and painted qualities and is of special interest because of its patrons. This article covers the activity of the Fraternity of the Five Holy Wounds of Christ, the attributes of the fraternity including its clothing, the inventory owned and used by this church and the altar and its paintings (which were looked after by the fraternity). The paper uses the inventories of the Vilnius Church of St Peter and Paul the Apostles and the books of the fraternity as its references. The discussed portable double-sided altar of the Five Holy Wounds of Christ is distinguished by its artistic value. This altar has two paintings of the Wounds of Christ and Our Lady of Sorrow on both sides of which the kneeling figures of a man and woman are depicted. Making reference to the records of the books of the fraternity, the assessment is made that the members of the fraternity of the Five Holy Wounds of Christ are depicted in these paintings: in particular the image of Casimir Kieyc, who was the head of the fraternity at that time, and the image of his wife Kristina. They purchased this portable altar with their own resources for the procession to Trakai. The altar was gilded and contained two paintings and was carried for the first time to Trakai during the procession of the feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, i.e. on the 7th of September in 1666. Later on, from 1668, the paintings of this altar were decorated with a silver setting. A record in the book of the fraternity is witness to the fact that on the 4th of June in 1733, just before the celebration of the Body of Christ, the portable altar painting of Our Lady of Sorrows was decorated with a new precious silver setting made by a professional Vilnius goldsmith. In 1750 a new wooden housing was created for this altar; consequently the images of the donators of the altar's paintings were damaged during the process of trimming the edges of the canvas (by about 4 cm) to adjust them to fit the newly made frames. This object of art had one more major restoration in 1799. This original portable altar, ordered by the Vilnius Fraternity of the F ive Holy Wounds of Christ and used in their devotional practice, is a reminder of the history of this fraternity. Moreover, it depicts the canvas's patrons and reflects the form of devotion and iconography that were specific to the Baroque culture of the 17th - 18th centuries and spread throughout its fraternities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]