110 years old Anniversary exhibition „Jonui Vaičiui-110“ and „Leonardas Vaitys. Architecture: Facts about Creation", 2014 February 28 - May 11
110 years old Anniversary exhibition „Jonui Vaičiui-110“ and „Leonardas Vaitys. Architecture: Facts about Creation", 2014 February 28 - May 11, Kaunas Painting Gallery, Kaunas.
On Friday, February 28, at 4 p.m., the National M. K. Čiurlionis Museum of Art's Picture Gallery, K. Donelaičio St. 16, Kaunas, will host the exhibitions "Jonas Vaitis – 110" and "Leonardas Vaitys. Architecture: Creative Facts".
Jonas Vaitys (1903–1963) is a classic of Lithuanian art of the twentieth century, but his work is still poorly activated in the landscape of our artistic memory. During the interwar period, the artist stood out as a painter of social themes: he created a unique "gallery of images of poverty", the famous paintings of Kaunas Brazilka and the ironic "cream" of society, and was distinguished by a variety of stylistic quests. After the war, when the Soviet era came, he became famous as a landscaper – an observer of falling asleep or awakening nature, a master of rendering melting snow.
J. Vaitys also left a significant mark on the history of Lithuanian art pedagogy and institutions: from 1946 to 1951 he was the director of the Kaunas State Institute of Applied and Decorative Arts, from 1951 until his death he was a lecturer at the Kaunas Polytechnic Institute, and for a couple of terms he was the chairman of the Kaunas branch of the Lithuanian SSR Artists' Union. Only recently it became clear that thanks to him, dozens of future Lithuanian artists who had started their studies at the Kaunas Institute of Applied Arts were saved from Soviet repression in the difficult post-war period. The memories of rescued students, friends, and colleagues are published in a new monograph-album about the artist. The book, which is richly illustrated with documentary material, was published by the Artists' Union Publishing House just a few months ago – it provides a broad overview not only of Jonas Vaitis' work, but also of a wide biographical field, discussing Vaitis as a person who had a personality and the charisma of a teacher. The exhibition will also be supplemented by a biographical part: photographs and artifacts revealing the artist's exceptional hobby – books bound by himself with valuable bibliographic information.
The artist's work has been popularized by his son Leonardas Vaitys for several decades. The well-known architect, who is also celebrating the anniversary, will present a report of his work alongside his father's paintings. And not only the most important architectural projects – it turns out that he has excellent control over the pen of a critic and publicist, so the newly published collection of his articles "Eklektika" will also be presented.
The works for the exhibition are collected from the family collections of the artist's son Leonardo and daughter Laima, the Lithuanian artist, the collections of the National M. K. Čiurlionis Art Museum, the Lithuanian Art Museums and the law firm LAWIN, as well as private collections.