Antanas Žmuidzinavičius

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Antanas Žmuidzinavičius
Lithuanian SSR
Resting placePetrašiūnai Cemetery
NationalityLithuanian
Alma materVeiveriai Teachers' Seminary
Académie Colarossi
Académie Vitti
Board member ofVilnius Art Society
Lithuanian Art Society

Antanas Žmuidzinavičius (Polish: Antoni Żmujdzinowicz, 31 October 1876 – 9 August 1966) was a Lithuanian painter and art collector.

Educated at the

Trimitas from 1929 until 1934. Žmuidzinavičius taught drawing at the Kaunas Art School (renamed to Kaunas Institute of Applied and Decorative Arts in 1941 and State Art Institute of Lithuania in 1951) in 1926–1953 and at the Kaunas Polytechnic Institute in 1953–1966. He was recognized as the People's Painter of the USSR
in 1957.

Žmuidzinavičius created more than 2,000 pieces of art and is best known for his landscapes that create a sense of longing. He also created portraits of famous people, scenes of everyday life, religious imagery. He also helped design the modern flag of Lithuania, created a version of the coat of arms of Lithuania that was widely used during the interwar period, designed postage stamps and Lithuanian currency banknotes. Žmuidzinavičius was an avid collector. He donated his collections to the M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum in 1961 which opened the Žmuidzinavičius Museum in his former home in 1966. His collection of devils outgrew the museum and was moved to the dedicated annexe in 1982. Two other small museums are dedicated to him in Seirijai where he was born and in Balkūnai [lt] where he grew up.

Biography

Before World War I

Žmuidzinavičius was born in

odontologist Marija Putvinskaitė.[1] They married on 10 October 1909 in a ceremony officiated by Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas and witnessed by Jonas Basanavičius and Ona Vileišienė, wife of Petras Vileišis.[6]

In 1906, he returned to Lithuania and settled in

First Exhibition of Lithuanian Art at the Vileišis Palace and was later elected chairman of the Lithuanian Art Society.[1] In 1908, he established the Vilnius Art Society which was joined by Polish, Russian, and Jewish artists, including Marianne von Werefkin, Bolesław Bałzukiewicz [pl], Bolesław Buyko [pl], Ber Zalkind, Lev Antokolski (1872–1942), Ivan Rybakov (1870–1942).[8] In 1908, he went on a tour of Western Europe (Munich, Dresden, Florence, Rome, Naples) and United States.[1] He continued to study art, visit museums and galleries, and paint. In Munich, he lived for four months with Petras Kalpokas.[1] In the United States, he delivered lectures on Lithuanian art and history to various communities of Lithuanian Americans and collected funds for the planned National House by the Lithuanian Scientific Society.[4] In Chicago, he created backdrops for the local Lithuanian theatres.[1] Upon his return to Lithuania, Žmuidzinavičius worked to collect and exhibit works of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis who died of pneumonia in 1911. In 1912, he studied fresco painting in Hamburg.[1] In May 1914, Žmuidzinavičius together with zoologist Tadas Ivanauskas traveled to the White Sea and painted arctic landscapes.[6]

Interwar

Žmuidzinavičius leads riflemen's celebration in 1930
Žmuidzinavičius at his home in 1954

During World War I, Žmuidzinavičius worked as a teacher at the newly established Lithuanian courses for teachers and Lithuanian gymnasium.

Lithuanian War of Independence and was a founding member of the Lithuanian Riflemen's Union. He participated in Lithuanian defence against Poland during the Żeligowski's Mutiny and was captured near Babriškis [lt] but managed to escape after three days.[2] He continued to care after the works of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis and worked to organize a museum to house them.[4] In February 1921, together with Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas he was tasked with the establishment of the Vytautas the Great War Museum.[2]

In July 1921, Žmuidzinavičius departed towards the United States but due to delays in getting appropriate travel documents, he reached the U.S. only in February 1922.[10] The goal of the journey was to raise funds for the Lithuanian Riflemen and establish chapters of the union in various communities of Lithuanian Americans. Žmuidzinavičius organized about 200 meetings and lectures but Lithuanian Americans showed little interest in joining the Riflemen's Union.[10] Due to the economic depression of 1920–1921 and competition from other organizations for the donations, the journey was not a financial success. He stopped representing the Riflemen's Union in November 1923 but remained in the United States until mid-1924 to pursue his artistic interests.[10] He organized art exhibitions in Washington, DC and Chicago. Together with Aleksandras Račkus, he travelled across the western United States and exhibited works completed during the journey in New York.[1] Upon his return, Žmuidzinavičius faced criticism of his handling of the collected funds. General Vincas Grigaliūnas-Glovackis [lt] submitted an official complaint to the Ministry of Defence in 1931. The unofficial investigation concluded only in 1936 and found that the funds were collected chaotically and haphazardly but did not find any evidence of misappropriation of the funds.[10]

Between 1926 and 1953, Žmuidzinavičius taught drawing at the

Trimitas.[2] He resigned in November 1934.[10] During his tenure, Žmuidzinavičius did not call the required annual meetings that were empowered to elect the new chairman and board. Overall, his tenure was criticized for poor financial management and bookkeeping irregularities as well as nepotism (his wife was the chair, the niece was the vice-chair, and sister-in-law was honorary chair of the women's section).[11] His resignation was likely a result of a government investigation and impending military reforms initiated by Stasys Raštikis that militarized the union and subordinated it to the military.[11] He was one of the founding members of the Lithuanian Artists' Association[4] and briefly served as its chairman in 1940.[12]

After World War II

Unlike many other members of the Lithuanian

Soviet regime.[11] His nephews-in-law Stasys Putvinskis (former Minister of Agriculture) and Vytautas Putvinskis died in Soviet prisons. Vytautas' mother, wife, and four children were deported to Ust-Lokchim.[13] By 1945, only two children remained alive. With the help of Žmuidzinavičius, the two orphans were returned to Lithuania in November 1945. Žmuidzinavičius took in his grand-nephew Algis Pūtvis.[13]

Žmuidzinavičius was recognized as a Honored Artist of the Lithuanian SSR in 1946 and as the People's Artist of the Lithuanian SSR in 1954 and of the Soviet Union in 1957. In 1947, Žmuidzinavičius was awarded the academic title of

Lithuanian Communist Party.[14]

Žmuidzinavičius died in Kaunas in 1966 and was buried in the Petrašiūnai Cemetery.

Works

Paintings

Painting All Through the Night by Žmuidzinavičius on a postal stamp issued in 1998

Žmuidzinavičius created more than 2,000 pieces of art,

Neman River, amber dunes of the Baltic Sea, hills of Samogitia, forests of Dzūkija, lakes of Aukštaitija, grain fields, or cozy and intimate corners of nature (e.g. lonely trees).[1] Overall, Žmuidzinavičius' art has features of romanticism (interwar period) and realism (post-war period).[15] He represented academism and rejected modernist experimentations.[16]

He also created posters and book illustrations.

euros at Vilnius Auction in 2013.[17] It is a well-known painting that is frequently added to various albums of Lithuanian art and was originally acquired by Pranas Mašiotas in 1910.[18]

Design

Coat of arms of Lithuania as drawn by Žmuidzinavičius
10 litas banknote (1927) designed by Žmuidzinavičius

Žmuidzinavičius participated in the creation of the modern

Tadas Daugirdas proposed adding a yellow strip. The Council of Lithuania created a special three-member (Žmuidzinavičius, Daugirdas, and Jonas Basanavičius) commission to come up with the final flag design which was submitted on 19 April 1918. The proposed tricolor yellow-green-red was adopted and is in use today.[19] Žmuidzinavičius also created a version of the coat of arms of Lithuania which was popular in interwar Lithuania (no design was chosen as the official version by the government). His version was based on the work of Tadeusz Dmochowski [ru] and depicted the knight diagonally giving the impression that it is flying.[20] Žmuidzinavičius disregarded traditional colors and chose dark-toned shadows. Žmuidzinavičius also created some symbolic paintings with the rider from the coat of arms.[20]

In 1919, Žmuidzinavičius participated in the plans to launch the national currency to replace the ostmark and ostrubel. He created drafts of the new banknotes (called muštinis) and travelled to Sweden to negotiate the printing, but the plans were abandoned.[2][19] Instead, Lithuania introduced the gold-backed Lithuanian litas in 1922. It is very likely that Žmuidzinavičius participated in the design of the first litas banknotes as they bear the coat of arms of Lithuania that is very similar to Žmuidzinavičius' version.[19] In 1927, Lithuania redesigned litas banknotes and Žmuidzinavičius was asked to design the 10 litas banknotes that would depict a Lithuanian village. He based his design on a photo by Antanas Tamošaitis [lt] of his brother sowing grain in spring.[19]

In addition, Žmuidzinavičius created 32 postage stamps

Lithuanian Army.[2] He also designed the emblem (Cross of Vytis in a shield) of the Lithuanian Riflemen's Union.[11]

Collections

Žmuidzinavičius was also known as an avid collector. He collected various items related to Lithuanian art and culture. In particular, he collected examples of Lithuanian folk art – clay whistles, Lithuanian sashes, aprons, knitted items, wood carvings.[4] He also collected paintings, sculptures, graphic works, musical instruments as well as letters, photos, publications. In 1961, Žmuidzinavičius gifted his collections to the M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum.[4] The collection of devil figurines reportedly started from a devil gifted by Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas.[6]

Publications

During his life, Žmuidzinavičius published several books. Using pen name Antanas Žemaitis (his surname is derived from Polish word Żmudź which means Žemaitis or Samogitian), he published a collection of essays Lietuvos keliais (On Lithuanian Roads, 1921) and of poems Gyvenimo takais (On Life's Paths, 1930).[4] He also published two books of memoirs: Priešui ir tėvynei (For the Enemy and the Homeland) about his activities during the Lithuanian Wars of Independence in 1931 and Peletė ir gyvenimas (Palette and Life) about his life and career in 1961.[4]

Legacy

Žmuidzinavičius Museum in Kaunas

Žmuidzinavičius Museum, a branch of the M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum,[21] was established in his former home in Kaunas in February 1966.[22] The house, designed by architect Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis, was built in 1928 and expanded in 1938 by adding the third floor.[23] The first floor was rented out (for a time it was a Swedish consulate where writer Henry Parland [sv] worked),[23] the second floor was the living quarters of the family, and the third floor was the art studio.[21] The house was one of the 44 modernist interwar buildings that received the European Heritage Label in 2015.[24] The memorial museum displays authentic interwar décor, Žmuidzinavičius' paintings and collections, and various archival items.[25] At that the time of the museum's opening, it had a collection of about 260 statues of the devil.[26] The collection steadily grew due to international donations and was moved to a newly constructed three-floor annexe in 1982.[22] The annexe, known as the Devils' Museum, now houses more than 3,000 devil-themed exhibits from more than 70 countries.[25] An album of the devils' collection was published in 1967 and 1973.[4]

The house in Balkūnai [lt] where Žmuidzinavičius grew up was turned into a memorial museum in 1982 by his nephew the theatre historian Vytautas Maknys [lt].[27] The museum displays restored furniture, photos, paintings, and other material related to the family.[28] Until 2017, the museum organized an annual amateur theatre festival.[29] The house where Žmuidzinavičius was born in Seirijai was demolished in 1938 but its location is marked by a 1.3-metre (4 ft 3 in) tall memorial stone erected in 1976.[30] In 1986, a room-museum dedicated to Žmuidzinavičius was opened at the high school in Seirijai.[31] The school was renamed in his honor in 1989.[32] In 1949–1966, Žmuidzinavičius spent summer vacations in a wooden villa in Palanga. The house, built by Graf Feliks Tyszkiewicz [lt], was added to the Lithuanian Registry of Cultural Heritage in 1993.[3]

Streets in Kaunas, Alytus, Seirijai, Miroslavas [lt], and Balkūnai are named after Žmuidzinavičius.[31]

Awards

Žmuidzinavičius received the following awards:[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Ignatavičius, Stasys (3 November 2001). "Dail. A. Žmuidzinavičiui — 125" (PDF). Draugas. Literatūra, menas, mokslas (in Lithuanian). 215 (39): 2.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Braziulis, A. (29 October 1936). "Antanas Žmuidzinavičius (60 metų amžiaus sukakties proga)". Karys (in Lithuanian). 44 (919): 1113–1114.
  3. ^ a b Grajauskienė, Livija (12 August 2013). "Dailininkas A. Žmuidzinavičius kūrė F. Tiškevičiaus statytame name" (in Lithuanian). Palangos tiltas. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Lazauskaitė, Jurgita (2014). "Antanas Žmuidzinavičius". Vilnijos vartai (in Lithuanian). Vilniaus apskrities A. Mickevičiaus viešoji biblioteka. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  5. ^
    ISSN 2080-7589
    .
  6. ^
    ISSN 1392-043X
    .
  7. OCLC 3627920
    .
  8. ^
    ISBN 978-609-447-097-4
    .
  9. ISSN 1648-9896
    .
  10. ^
    ISSN 2351-6526
    .
  11. ^
    ISBN 978-9955-829-22-5
    .
  12. ^ a b c d e f "Antanas Žmuidzinavičius". Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos centras. 15 January 2021 [2018].
  13. ^ a b Musneckienė, Regina (12 June 2014). "Trys Putvinskių kartos patyrė tremtį" (in Lithuanian). Šiaulių kraštas. Archived from the original on 6 August 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  14. ^
    OCLC 20017802
    .
  15. ^ "Antanas Žmuidzinavičius" (in Lithuanian). Lietuvos dailės muziejus. 28 March 2006. Retrieved 22 September 2007.
  16. ISBN 9783110465952
    .
  17. ^ "Antanas Žmuidzinavičius 1876–1966" (in Lithuanian). Vilniaus aukcionas (Meno rinkos agentūra). Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  18. ^ Radžiūnaitė, Austė (24 May 2013). "A. Žmuidzinavičiaus drobė trigubai viršijo Vilniaus aukciono rekordą" (in Lithuanian). Lietuvos rytas. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  19. ^ a b c d e "Šimtmečio istorijos. Lietuvos banknotų kūrėjas Antanas Žmuidzinavičius" (in Lithuanian). Money Museum of the Bank of Lithuania. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  20. ^
    ISBN 978-9955-854-44-9
    .
  21. ^ a b "Former House of Artist A. Žmuidzinavičius". Visit Kaunas. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  22. ^ a b "A. Žmuidzinavičius Creations and Collections Museum / Devils Museum". Museums of the World. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  23. ^ a b Kalinauskas, Justinas. "A. Žmuidzinavičiaus gyvenamasis namas (Išlikęs, k.k.v.r. 10426)" (in Lithuanian). Kauno technologijos universiteto Architektūros ir statybos instituto Mokslo centras Architektūros ir urbanistikos tyrimų centras. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  24. ^ "Kaunas Was Awarded a European Heritage Label" (in Lithuanian). Visit Kaunas. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  25. ^ a b "A. Žmuidzinavičiaus memorialiniai namai ir Velnių muziejus" (in Lithuanian). pamatykLietuvoje.lt. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  26. ^ Bignell, Rachel (September 2007). "Devil Museum, Kaunas, Lithuania. Rachel Bignell detects the whiff of brimstone as she enters the realm of the Horned One in Eastern Europe". Fortean Times. Archived from the original on 29 August 2014.
  27. ^ "Dailininko Antano Žmuidzinavičiaus tėviškė" (in Lithuanian). VšĮ Alytaus turizmo informacijos centras. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  28. ^ "Dailininko Antano Žmuidzinavičiaus tėviškės sodyba". Kultūros vertybių registras (in Lithuanian). Kultūros paveldo departamentas. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  29. ^ "Dailininko A. Žmuidzinavičiaus tėviškė Balkūnų kaime" (in Lithuanian). Vankiškių kaimo bendruomenė. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  30. ^ "Dailininko Antano Žmuidzinavičiaus sodybos vieta". Kultūros vertybių registras (in Lithuanian). Kultūros paveldo departamentas. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  31. ^ a b Vasiliauskaitė, Lina (2016). "Antanas Žmuidzinavičius". Dainavos kraštas (in Lithuanian). Alytaus rajono savivaldybės viešoji biblioteka. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  32. ^ "Antanas Žmuidzinavičius" (in Lithuanian). Lazdijų rajono savivaldybė. 25 August 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  33. ^ "Maršrutas lapkričio 18-20 dienoms" (in Lithuanian). Kaunas Pilnas Kultūros. 18 November 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2021.

External links

Media related to Antanas Žmuidzinavičius at Wikimedia Commons

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