The Influence of Western European Countries on the Lithuanian Scenography
The search for new forms of expression in theatre set and costume design in the 1930s
In the beginning of the 20th century one of the most important directions of professional improvement in Lithuania was pointed towards Russia, however, the fourth decade of the century revealed another influence – the Western centres of art, especially Paris, with its schools of art and creative surroundings. Many artists who studied in Lithuania travelled there after graduation or upon receiving grants from the state; some of them were the personalities that more or less further enriched the already opulent panorama of Western scenography.
Antanas Gudaitis
One of such personalities was artist Antanas Gudaitis (1904–1989). He studied with Gerardas Bagdonavičius, later attended the Kaunas School of Art and moved to Paris, where he studied at the Julian and André Lhote academies, and perfected his craft in the studio of Russian artist and scenographer Aleksandra Ekster.
Eugene O‘Neill "MARCO‘S MILLIONS". A scenery sketch (1938) by Antanas GudaitisLithuanian Theatre, Music and Cinema Museum
Telesforas Kulakauskas
Telesforas Kulakauskas (1907–1977) graduated from the Kaunas School of Art and later independently improved his skills in Paris, as well as various cities of Sweden and Germany. Having worked mostly in the sphere of graphic arts, in the fourth decade of the 20th century T. Kulakauskas also created some sets influenced by Art Deco.
Giacomo Puccini "GIANNI SCHICCHI". A scenery sketch (1933) by Telesforas KulakauskasLithuanian Theatre, Music and Cinema Museum
Stasys Ušinskas
Stasys Ušinskas (1905-1974) studied at the Kaunas School of Art and later traveled to Paris, where he attended the National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts. Afterwards, he studied at the “Académie Modern” with Fernand Léger and Aleksandra Ekster.
Robert Planquette "THE BELLS OF CORNEVILLE". A scenery sketch. Act II (1932) by Stasys UšinskasLithuanian Theatre, Music and Cinema Museum
When he returned to Lithuania, S. Ušinskas began working at the Kaunas School of Art, also creating sets for the productions of the State Theatre, Kaunas, Lithuania.
Johann Strauss "THE GYPSY BARON". A scenery sketch. Act I (1934) by Stasys UšinskasLithuanian Theatre, Music and Cinema Museum
Along with his peers he established the Theatre of Marionettes (1936). His scenography is constructive, decorative, shunning realistic decisions, emphasizing the conditional place of action; costumes shine with clusters of contrasting colours, expressive silhouettes.
Johann Strauss "THE GYPSY BARON". A scenery sketch. Act III (1934) by Stasys UšinskasLithuanian Theatre, Music and Cinema Museum
Liudas Truikys
Some connections with the modern artistic trends of Western Europe can also be detected in the works of Liudas Truikys (1904–1987). Just as many other artists of the first half of the 20th century, he began learning his craft in the Kaunas School of Art, created sets for the productions of the State Theatre, Kaunas, Lithuania.
In 1934–1935 L. Truikys studied in Paris with Paul Colin, a master of posters who created in the style of Art Deco, and worked at the “Pigalle” theatre established by Philippe de Rotschild – it was striving to become the most modern theatre of the world and was thus accommodated with the most advanced technical devices of the time. Liudas Truikys was influenced to study the art of opera by the acquaintance and partnership with opera soloist Marijona Rakauskaitė.
His sets for operas display a significant desire to discover and highlight the relationship between plastic and musical forms. The sets of L. Truikys are characteristically rhythmical, decorative, filled with contrasts of bright colours. In 1937 L. Truikys further improved his skills in the theatres of Berlin, Dresden and Munich.
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