The Bernardine Ensemble

The years of the Second World War were a controversial period for Viktoras Vizgirda (190 4–1993). On one hand, he lived in the regained capital, which had been the object of his dreams before the war, and he headed the Academy of Art. A highly professional staff of teachers from Kaunas assembled there: Telesforas Valius taught graphic art, Jonas Mikėnas sculpture, Antanas Gudaitis drawing, and Mikalojus Vorobjovas the history of art. On the other hand, the German occupation was a difficult period: the Academy was short of money and staff, and Vizgirda himself had to work as an administrator and an accountant. The Nazis began their cruel repressions and restrictions, part of the premises was taken over by the army, and finally, in March 1943, the Germans closed the Academy. Quite unexpectedly, Vizgirda had time to paint, and he painted almost all his Vilnius townscapes in the summer of 1943. The atmosphere of the period can be felt in them. The Bernardine friary is depicted on a bright afternoon, but a strange cold light from the sun falls on the street, where fearsome dark shadows, the restless rhythm of trees, and the sharp contrast between the red brick architecture and the blue surroundings generate a feeling of intensity. Text author Laima Laučkaitė.