A Side Street in Vilnius

Bronisław Jamontt (1886–1957) had been interested in the Old Town in Vilnius since he was a gymnasium pupil in the early 20th century, and he remained faithful to the theme in his work. He studied painting in the Art Department at Stephen Báthory University in the 1920s, and was a lecturer there from 1931. He painted a detail of Gaono Street, trying to emphasise its age: the heavy walls, a corner decorated with a pilaster, the cobbled street with drains, the wooden pavements, and the small shops with shutters and painted signs. This is an early work, distinguished by its Art Nouveau lines. The narrow street is crooked, as are the walls of the houses, the drainpipe is bent, and the cobbles are uneven. The forms of the architecture reflect the curly clouds, and they defy the geometry of straight lines. Jamontt’s city rises up like a living, breathing creature. Text author Laima Laučkaitė.