Day 72. Vilnius Must See Scultures and their hidden secrets. Part I

#VilniusSculptures

This weekend I had a visitor who was in Vilnius for the first time after a very long time.

And he had some questions which I wasn't able to answer at that moment.

Hence, I have used the Google almighty and I have found all the answers I needed.

The source of my today post is the following article Vilnius Must See sculptures and their secrets enlosed in a stone (in LT) by Edita Maželytė.

And the reason why this post comes is:

What are these strange sculptures between the northern facade of the Cathedral, the Gediminas Hill and the southern part of Lithuanian National Museum?

So:

1) Lithuanian Ballade

Well, I did not know when I was asked. But I have that knoledge now and I will share it with all those who want to know.

These strage scuptures aare called Lietuviška baladė (Lithuanian Ballade) and they are created by Vladas Vildžiūnas (in LT).

The scuptures, erected in soviet times, initially were intented to commemorate the 650th anniversary of Vilnius Foundation. For those who do not know this is the year 1323.

Modern scuptures with ellements of cubistic style and Lithuanian Folk Art ellements were a great headache for officer at that times. Scupturer Vladas Vildziunas faced a keen opposition to his work, permissions to erect the scuptures were dissappearing for several times. Nevertheless, thanks to eagerness of the scuptures and his supporter, scuptures were positioned were they stand now, although nobody could say officially and loudly that intention of sculptures is to commemorate the anniversary of Vilnius Foundation.

Later the sculptures were accompanied by few legends. People believed that these were three Gnomes. 

Later, when the cult of the King Mindaugas was rising, and after March 11, people believed that these scuptures are of three great Lithuanian Rulers: King Mindaugas, Grand Duke Gediminas and Grand Duke Vytautas.

But it's not true.

Sculpturer Vladas Vildžiunas was interested in Lithuanian Folk Art, especially in folk bards and pipemen (kaimo dainiai ir dūdoriai), therefore Lithuanian Ballade made of dolomite represents: a soldier, a poet, and a plowman. It definitely carries no political meaning.

2) Muzu svente (The Feast of Muses)

The Feast of Muses by Stanislovas Kuzma (in LT) on the facade of The National Drama Theatre is one of the main tourist attraction on Gediminas ave.

the photo is take from wiki on Lithuanian National Drama Theatre

One interesting things about the sculpture is that the author Stanislovas Kuzma was so unsuccessful in generating ideas of the sculpture that he was willing to give up on the project.

Suddenly the inspiration popped out. He draw a sketch of three ladies in scarfs. And that was exactly what he was looking for.

Three theatre muses: Drama, Tragedy and Comedy were created from sheets of copper. The middle one muse even has its prototype. A sculpturer Kuzma was of poor health and he had heart diseases, so he had few surgeries. A doctor Irena Zukauskiene saved his life therefore her face was used as an inspiration for the middle one muse.

Let's go to Vokiečių street.

3) Barbora

There is no a single Lithuanian who does not know a story of Grand Duchess Barbora (Barbara Radziwiłł).
This time I am going to talk about a sculpture called Barbora by a sculpturer of Lithuanian Ballade Vladas Vildžiunas.
Barbora is located on Vokieciu str.

Barbora

Vladas Vildžiūnas was an initiator of Jeruzale Sculpture Garden. Many Vilnius artists used to live in Jeruzale, most of them were sculptures. Community of Sculptures has formed soon. It is activ even nowadays.

A Lithuanian director Jonas Jurašas and his family suffered from Soviet repressions. They did not have a place to live, therefore they found a haven at the Vildzinai house. Artist together were creating avangard cinema, also engaged in other artistic activities.

At that particular time Jonas Jurasas was directing a theatre spectacle Barbara. And that was an inspiration for the sculpture.

J. Jurasas saw a scupture of a lady in baroque gown and, since his family were living in the mood created by his spectacle, called it Barbora. Vildžiūnas was creating a scupture for Lentvaris Garden.

A bronze sculpture of Barbora was located on Vokieciu str. in 1984. It is said, that the house of Barbora could have been in the surroundings of a futuristic - cubistic sscupture.

I just would like to remind that Barbora is one of 15 Vilnius Talking Statues and she speaks not only Lithuanian but also Polish! :)

4) Saint Christopher

The next sculpture that I am going to talk about is Saint Christopher at the churchyard of Church of St. Nicholas dedicated to a priest Kristupas Čibiras (in LT).

Saint Christopher

This is a sculpture created by a painter Antanas Kmieliauskas in 1959.  At that time, the artist was creating frescas and mozaics, and he was a total self-taught sculpturer.

Nevertheless, he accepted an offer to create a sculpture to the priest.

The artist has bought a piece granite for his own money. Without having any experience as a sculpturer and witahout any necessary tools or designs, he has created an impressive pice of art only with his enormous passion.

He was borrowing the tools from the workers that were constructing those sculptures on The Green Bridge. However, at the end of each day were turning aboslutely blunt, so the artist was carrying them by his moped to a village to his father to sharpen them.

When soviet authorities have found out about the work of Antanas Kmieliaskas, which was dedicated to Saint Christopher but also to a priest Kristupas Cibiras. Saint Christopher was a patron of Vilnius, and his symbols were removed in soviet period from all the possible places. The Authorities has removed the artist from List of Lithuanian Artists, so he was no longer allowed to buy paints and other materials for his work. He has lost all exemptions to maintain his family so he was forced to live a poorer life taht other artists. Luckily, he was creating impressive tombs at Rasos Cemetery, at that times.

Location: Nicholaus str. 4

5) The Cat

Last time I was telling a story of Vilnius must to see scupture called Lithuanian Ballade.

This time I am going to talk about about the sculpture called The Cat (Katinas inT LT).

The Cat is a sculpture created and dedicated to a Lithuanian writer Jurga Ivanauskaitė.

It was a writer's mother who asked a sculpturer Ksenija Jaroševaitė (in LT) to create a sculpture for an angel of cats. Since, as the sculpturer says herself, she didn't know how an angel of cats looks like, she created a sculpture for a cat who would reflect a free spirit of the writer.

The Cat is formed from 16-tones-stone, which was brought from Kelmė region. All the sculptures of Ksenija Jarosevaite are of funny forms, but they resemble cute creatures that are tired of problems. 

The main criterion of creation for the artist is a laughter. If a sculpture makes you smile, it has achieved its purpose. 

Location of The Cat: Jurga Ivanauskaite Square on Aguonu street. 

The next one shall be:

6) The Hook (Kablys)

As the author of the artice says nobody could imagine the former Culture Palace of Railway Employees (typical soviet building stuff) without a famous Hook, created by a Lithuanian sculpturer Mindaugas Navakas,  which has become almost a symbol of the building.

The artict in 1994 installed a giant hook in the place of a former soviet blazon.

At first it had to be a temporary sculpture, but it has become a permanent decorative ellement of the building and it has even gained a symbolic meaning.

Abroad The Hook is presented a symbol of Lithuanians point of view on their own soviet past: this period is over, we understand that, we remember that, and we can mock that.

Mindaugas Navakas (in LT) was used a technology called zincography since 1981.

He created pictures of soviet buildings and buildings of stallinistic modernism with incorporated pieces of his sculptures. Thus tragicomic conflict of different cultures, times, and art expressions - architechture and sculture was depicted.

And this was the way the story of The Hook has begun.

Location: Kauno str., between Aguonu str. and J. Jablonskis str.

And later I am going to talk about some more scultures, but that will be in Part II