Circus

Marija Račkauskaitė-Cvirkienė (1912–2004) grew up in Bolgrad in the Odessa area. Her father Merkelis Račkauskas, who had studied Classics at Odessa University, taught in a gymnasium in Bolgrad. The family returned to Lithuania in 1920, and Marija studied painting at Kaunas School of Art. There, she became acquainted with the left-wing writer Petras Cvirka, and married him in 1935. At the time, she admired French Impressionism, and painted clear, sensitive and intimate landscapes, still-lifes and portraits. After the Second World War, she settled in Vilnius, and continued the pre-war painting tradition. She painted a Soviet-era travelling circus in Vilnius. Here it is in the place of the present Opera and Ballet Theatre. The picture is dominated by a large, light and shapeless circus tent, decorated with colourful banners, and with a line of spectators. The late afternoon city, painted in an Impressionist style in soft brushstrokes, in subtle grey, blue and brown tones, looks jolly but at the same time a little melancholic. The picture recalls the theme of the circus as playful entertainment for urban dwellers that was popular in French art.

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album VILNIUS. TOPOPHILIA I (2014). Compiler and author Laima Laučkaitė
Expositions: "A Glance at the History of Lithuanian Art from Užupis", 30 August 2018 – 1 June 2019, Lithuanian Art Centre TARTLE (Užupio St. 40, Vilnius). Curator Giedrė Jankevičiūtė. "Vilnius Time", 5 June 2023 – 1 May 2024, Lithuanian Art Centre TARTLE (Užupio St. 40, Vilnius). Curators Ieva Burbaitė and Emilija Vanagaitė.
© LATGA, Vilnius 2025

Marija Račkauskaitė-Cvirkienė (1912–2004) grew up in Bolgrad in the Odessa area. Her father Merkelis Račkauskas, who had studied Classics at Odessa University, taught in a gymnasium in Bolgrad. The family returned to Lithuania in 1920, and Marija studied painting at Kaunas School of Art. There, she became acquainted with the left-wing writer Petras Cvirka, and married him in 1935. At the time, she admired French Impressionism, and painted clear, sensitive and intimate landscapes, still-lifes and portraits. After the Second World War, she settled in Vilnius, and continued the pre-war painting tradition. She painted a Soviet-era travelling circus in Vilnius. Here it is in the place of the present Opera and Ballet Theatre. The picture is dominated by a large, light and shapeless circus tent, decorated with colourful banners, and with a line of spectators. The late afternoon city, painted in an Impressionist style in soft brushstrokes, in subtle grey, blue and brown tones, looks jolly but at the same time a little melancholic. The picture recalls the theme of the circus as playful entertainment for urban dwellers that was popular in French art.

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album VILNIUS. TOPOPHILIA I (2014). Compiler and author Laima Laučkaitė
Expositions: "A Glance at the History of Lithuanian Art from Užupis", 30 August 2018 – 1 June 2019, Lithuanian Art Centre TARTLE (Užupio St. 40, Vilnius). Curator Giedrė Jankevičiūtė. "Vilnius Time", 5 June 2023 – 1 May 2024, Lithuanian Art Centre TARTLE (Užupio St. 40, Vilnius). Curators Ieva Burbaitė and Emilija Vanagaitė.
© LATGA, Vilnius 2025