St Christopher, the patron saint of Vilnius

Krystyna Wróblewska (1903–1994) was born in Warsaw, and lived in Vilnius between 1930 and 1944. In this etching from her early period, St Christopher is portrayed as a symbol of Vilnius. His mighty figure fills the whole plane of the picture, and is presented in the traditional way as a giant wading through water with the Infant Jesus on his shoulders. However, it is not the landscape of the distant ancient world but the green hills of Vilnius that are depicted around him. He is standing in the swiftly flowing current of the River Neris, and on its banks are the familiar silhouettes of St Anne’s, the Bernardine and Missionaries, and St Peter and Paul’s churches. In the right-hand corner of the picture is a small figure of the artist drawing under a tree.

Text author Dalia Vasiliūnienė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album HEAVEN AND BEYOND (2016). Compiler Dalia Vasiliūnienė. Text authors Dalia Vasiliūnienė, Skaidrė Urbonienė
Expositions: “Heaven and Beyond. Works of religious art from the collection of Rolandas Valiūnas and the law firm Valiunas Ellex“, 31 May–24 September 2016, Church Heritage Museum, Vilnius (curators Dalia Vasiliūnienė, Skaidrė Urbonienė); “Vilnius. Topophilia. Views of Vilnius from the collection of the law firm Ellex Valiunas”, 5 October – 26 November 2017, National Gallery of Art, Vilnius (curator Laima Laučkaitė). "Women Artists in Interwar Vilnius. Between Expectations and Possibilities", 15 December 2021 – 24 April 2022, Vytautas Kasiulis Art Museum, Vilnius. Curators Algė Andriulytė and Ilona Mažeikienė. "Vilnius Time", 5 June 2023 – 1 May 2024, Lithuanian Art Centre TARTLE (Užupio St. 40, Vilnius). Curators Ieva Burbaitė and Emilija Vanagaitė.

Krystyna Wróblewska (1903–1994) was born in Warsaw, and lived in Vilnius between 1930 and 1944. In this etching from her early period, St Christopher is portrayed as a symbol of Vilnius. His mighty figure fills the whole plane of the picture, and is presented in the traditional way as a giant wading through water with the Infant Jesus on his shoulders. However, it is not the landscape of the distant ancient world but the green hills of Vilnius that are depicted around him. He is standing in the swiftly flowing current of the River Neris, and on its banks are the familiar silhouettes of St Anne’s, the Bernardine and Missionaries, and St Peter and Paul’s churches. In the right-hand corner of the picture is a small figure of the artist drawing under a tree.

Text author Dalia Vasiliūnienė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album HEAVEN AND BEYOND (2016). Compiler Dalia Vasiliūnienė. Text authors Dalia Vasiliūnienė, Skaidrė Urbonienė
Expositions: “Heaven and Beyond. Works of religious art from the collection of Rolandas Valiūnas and the law firm Valiunas Ellex“, 31 May–24 September 2016, Church Heritage Museum, Vilnius (curators Dalia Vasiliūnienė, Skaidrė Urbonienė); “Vilnius. Topophilia. Views of Vilnius from the collection of the law firm Ellex Valiunas”, 5 October – 26 November 2017, National Gallery of Art, Vilnius (curator Laima Laučkaitė). "Women Artists in Interwar Vilnius. Between Expectations and Possibilities", 15 December 2021 – 24 April 2022, Vytautas Kasiulis Art Museum, Vilnius. Curators Algė Andriulytė and Ilona Mažeikienė. "Vilnius Time", 5 June 2023 – 1 May 2024, Lithuanian Art Centre TARTLE (Užupio St. 40, Vilnius). Curators Ieva Burbaitė and Emilija Vanagaitė.