Multi-faceted Characters

Wincenty Łukaszewicz (1861-1931) managed to create this magnificent artpiece and composed a very mysterious, mesmerising, even hypnotic portret with two very different yet slightly intimate characters. Painting In the exhibition of the year 1911 is quite uncommon for Łukaszewicz style and is one of rare portraits of this artist.

Ludomir Slendziński (1889-1980), the son of painter Vincent Slendziński, is the most outstanding representative of Vilnius neo-classicism. Sleńdziński combined the principles of Italian Renaissance painting with post-cubist stylization. This Portrait of a man is a great reflection of Slendziński style.

The self-portrait of Antanas Samuolis (1899–1942) executed in an expressive manner and vibrant colours was painted when the author studied at the Kaunas Art Studio of Justinas Vienožinskis. It is a frank look of the twenty-six-year-old painter at himself. The 1925 self-portrait depicts Samuolis as a strong person with a fiery look.

Stefan Römer's (1900–1951) portrait of a young woman reflects his impressions of life in Prague. The model might have been an acquaintance of the artist, dressed up for an evening’s entertainment, although the brightly coloured lips, the smouldering cigarette between her fingers, and in particular the seductively loose shoulder strap, suggest that she and the painter had more than just a friendly or a professional relationship. This work, showing the artist’s acquaintance with the principles of Czech Art Deco, is one of the few surviving works by Stefan Römer. Almost all of his artistic legacy was destroyed during the Second World War in a fire.

This painting is full of warmth, sensitivity, and exhibits a free and unrestricted manner of painting. At the time when the portrait was painted modern art was gaining momentum and closely interacted with the avant-garde press. In the 1930s, pupils of Kaunas School of Art were influenced by local movements of avant-garde artists.

Jewish worker (Ouvrier Juif) is a very touching painting created by Max Band (1900-1974). This is a subtle psychological portret with expressive sitter's composition. Images from Jewish life was one of the factors that made this artist famous.

Vladas Eidukevičius returned to Lithuania in 1932. This period marked the height of his creative maturity: ‘While in Lithuania, the aim of my work crystallised, my technique matured, combining of paint equilibrated, and generally, my art improved.’

Eidukevičius was painted by Mstislavas Dobužinskis seven years before the fateful day of 22 June 1941 when the bullet of a Nazi soldier cut short Eidukevičius’ life.

The portrait of Prime Minister Juozas Tūbelis is subtle both in terms of colour and technique. In this case, the formal relationship between the artist and the person portrayed can be felt. On 1 September 1939, the Tūbelis family was shocked to hear that war had broken out in Europe. Tūbelis died a month later, on 30 September. Lithuanian Art Fund also holds a portrait of his wife, Ms Jadvyga Chodakauskaitė-Tūbelienė.

Portrait of Jadvyga Tūbelienė, wife of Prime Minister Juozas Tūbelis.

Ada Peldavičiūtė-Montvydienė (1911–1967) graduate of Florence Art Academy is a master of elongated and elegant shapes of human figures, which are unusual in Lithuanian painting. Her pictures recall Italian and German versions of interwar Neo-Classicism. While looking at the portret of her brother one may strongly feel that the painting holds a very energetic spirit.

In Portrait of sister Johanna Ludomir Sleńdziński combined the principles of Italian Renaissance painting with post-cubist stylization. He painted multi-figurative compositions and portraits, figures of classical antiquity and mythological characters. In his paintings, he sometimes used relief elements and created polychromatic wood reliefs.

Being one of the greatest masters of portrait Juozas Zikaras (1881-1944) created a whole gallery of images of Lithuania’s prominent people. Here you see the the first President of Lithuania - Antanas Smetona.