Composition on the theme of the mother

This composition of two figures by Stanislovas Kuzma (1947–2012) can be attributed to the theme of the woman and mother, a recurring motif in his work. One notable variation on this theme, the Pietà, was the basis for a memorial to the defenders of Lithuanian freedom in Antakalnis Cemetery in Vilnius. The composition features two women, depicted with the sculptor’s characteristically elongated proportions and generalised silhouettes, both wrapped in scarves. One woman seems to embrace the other with her arm, suggesting an image of a mother and daughter. Kuzma reflected on this recurring image of a woman in a headscarf in his memoirs: ‘The vision of a woman-mother, a goddess, has been forming in me for a long time. When I was boarding at an art school as a teenager, I missed my home and my mother, and wrote poems about my mother’s scarf. The longing for comfort and security was overwhelming. All this sank into my subconscious, and emerged in completely different forms, shaping my way of thinking as a sculptor and transforming into the constantly recurring form of a woman with a scarf.’* Researchers have identified the image of a woman in a scarf as a key motif in Kuzma’s work, appearing in various forms from the 1970s to the early 21st century. Kuzma’s modernity, which is evident from his debut in the 1970s, manifested itself not only in his treatment of forms, but also in his choice of materials. He selected diverse materials for his sculptures, combined them boldly, and used colour or gilding for his wooden sculptures.

Text author Jurgita Ludavičienė

* Stanislovas Kuzma. Skulptūra +5426 dienos. Mažoji plastika ir piešiniai. NDG, Vilnius 2013, p. 11.

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album MORE THAN JUST BEAUTY (2012). Compiler and author Giedrė Jankevičiūtė, THE ART OF MATERIALS. Compiler and text author Jurgita Ludavičienė
Expositions: “More Than Just Beauty: The Image of Woman in the LAWIN collection”, 12 October – 11 November 2012, National Gallery of Art, Vilnius
© VŠĮ „Lietuvos dailės fondas“

This composition of two figures by Stanislovas Kuzma (1947–2012) can be attributed to the theme of the woman and mother, a recurring motif in his work. One notable variation on this theme, the Pietà, was the basis for a memorial to the defenders of Lithuanian freedom in Antakalnis Cemetery in Vilnius. The composition features two women, depicted with the sculptor’s characteristically elongated proportions and generalised silhouettes, both wrapped in scarves. One woman seems to embrace the other with her arm, suggesting an image of a mother and daughter. Kuzma reflected on this recurring image of a woman in a headscarf in his memoirs: ‘The vision of a woman-mother, a goddess, has been forming in me for a long time. When I was boarding at an art school as a teenager, I missed my home and my mother, and wrote poems about my mother’s scarf. The longing for comfort and security was overwhelming. All this sank into my subconscious, and emerged in completely different forms, shaping my way of thinking as a sculptor and transforming into the constantly recurring form of a woman with a scarf.’* Researchers have identified the image of a woman in a scarf as a key motif in Kuzma’s work, appearing in various forms from the 1970s to the early 21st century. Kuzma’s modernity, which is evident from his debut in the 1970s, manifested itself not only in his treatment of forms, but also in his choice of materials. He selected diverse materials for his sculptures, combined them boldly, and used colour or gilding for his wooden sculptures.

Text author Jurgita Ludavičienė

* Stanislovas Kuzma. Skulptūra +5426 dienos. Mažoji plastika ir piešiniai. NDG, Vilnius 2013, p. 11.

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album MORE THAN JUST BEAUTY (2012). Compiler and author Giedrė Jankevičiūtė, THE ART OF MATERIALS. Compiler and text author Jurgita Ludavičienė
Expositions: “More Than Just Beauty: The Image of Woman in the LAWIN collection”, 12 October – 11 November 2012, National Gallery of Art, Vilnius
© VŠĮ „Lietuvos dailės fondas“