This exhibition is structurally divided into two parts, reminiscent of the emblem of the city of Vilnius, which depicts the legendary giant Alkis carrying his wife or, more plausibly, Saint Christopher with the baby Jesus on his shoulders.
First Part: Vilnius Iconography
The first section of the exhibition is dedicated to the iconography of Vilnius, featuring works from the Vilnius Academy of Arts Museum’s collections. Naturally, these are works by students (many of whom later became renowned artists) — course assignments, diploma works, and pieces created during internships. This part of the exhibition is also dual in nature, as the selected works capture not only the city itself but also moments from the lives of its inhabitants.
The exhibition honors Vilnius as it celebrates the 695th anniversary of its first mention and the 225th anniversary of the Vilnius Academy of Arts. In 1793, the Architecture Department was established at the Grand Duchy of Lithuania’s Higher School, led by Professor Laurynas Gucevičius, marking the beginning of what would become the most significant art school in Lithuania. The exhibition fittingly takes place at Vilnius Town Hall. In 1941, after Lithuania reclaimed Vilnius, the Art Museum began functioning here, so this exhibition dedicated to the capital and its people, showcasing works by future classics, continues this curatorial tradition.
Second Part: Mindaugas Skudutis
The second part of the exhibition is dedicated to the living classic of Lithuanian painting, Mindaugas Skudutis. The artist has been painting Vilnius since his student days (this fragment of his work, allowing for a comparison of how his approach evolved from student years to later, is also shown in the “academic” part of the exhibition). Skudutis continues to paint and draw the city to this day. One of the rooms in the Vilnius Town Hall is dedicated to his Vilnius-themed work.
As Mindaugas Skudutis himself says, he began painting Vilnius during his studies: “When I entered the Art Institute, <…> I felt that academic assignments alone were not enough to become a good artist, so I painted everywhere: at the Institute, in the dormitory, and in the city. That’s when I fell in love with Vilnius; it was different from now, much more neglected, but all the more beautiful to the artist’s eye. Back then, the city’s courtyards were open to everyone, without fences or bars, so you could slip into a quiet corner and paint. There were few people in the streets then—not like now, where you can’t pass through for loiterers. Since I painted mainly from life (only finishing the painting in the studio), the city views were made in one go, as circumstances forced me to work quickly. People and cars would sometimes disappear under the lower paint layer, and then something else would appear in their place.”
Mindaugas Skudutis’s paintings are also celebratory, as the artist celebrated his seventieth birthday in October 2018.
