| Abstract [eng] |
The exhibition aimed to highlight a remarkable cultural phenomenon of Lithuania – the activities of the Drawing School that operated in Vilnius in the 2nd half of the 19th and early 20th century. The event also sought to acknowledge the importance and the influence of the School in relation to the 150th anniversary of its establishment. Many artists gained their first training in art there and afterwards contributed to the art life in Lithuania, France, Israel, Russia, Belarus and other countries. The name of the School became famous through its students that later on became associated with the École de Paris, in particular such artists as Chaim Soutine, Pinchus Krémègne, Michel Kikoïne, Schraga Zarfin. The biographies of these artists refer to Vilnius Drawing School as some mystical Académie de Vilna. A number of important Lithuanian artists, Edvardas Matas Römeris, Stanislav Fleury, Vytautas Kairiūkštis, Vytautas Didžiokas and others, also studied in this School. Among its alumni were the future Israeli artists Boris Szatz, Abel Pann, Joseph Budkoa and Emmanuel Mane-Katz. After this initial training in Vilna, they continued their studies with different higher art schools in Europe. The exhibition was intended to demonstrate the creative diversity of teachers and students of the School, to reveal its particularity and the main aspects of its activities as well as its undeniable international significance. It introduced the names and creative biographies of the staff and the alumni tracing, their further international trajectories. Most importantly, it offered the first opportunity to see at one location the artworks (paintings, sculptures, graphic works) brought together from all over the world in witness of the contribution of these artists to the art scenes of various countries. |
