The Church of St Anne

Leon Kosmulski (1904–1952), a Vilnius artist of the interwar period, tried to convey an unconventional interpretation of the famous Church of St Anne by eschewing the usual realistic form of expression. Therefore, he made the façade look like a design by a medieval craftsman: the flat linear drawing recalls ancient woodcuts, with no depth or background, and without perspective. This contrasting black and white graphic image is brought to life by the red inscription ‘Sw Anna’, and the artist’s framed monogram, resembling an ancient stamp. This, combined with the trend for looking for a modern graphic interpretation of old architecture and historic examples in art, is characteristic of graduates of Stephen Báthory University.

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album VILNIUS. TOPOPHILIA I (2014). Compiler and author Laima Laučkaitė
Expositions: “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)

Leon Kosmulski (1904–1952), a Vilnius artist of the interwar period, tried to convey an unconventional interpretation of the famous Church of St Anne by eschewing the usual realistic form of expression. Therefore, he made the façade look like a design by a medieval craftsman: the flat linear drawing recalls ancient woodcuts, with no depth or background, and without perspective. This contrasting black and white graphic image is brought to life by the red inscription ‘Sw Anna’, and the artist’s framed monogram, resembling an ancient stamp. This, combined with the trend for looking for a modern graphic interpretation of old architecture and historic examples in art, is characteristic of graduates of Stephen Báthory University.

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album VILNIUS. TOPOPHILIA I (2014). Compiler and author Laima Laučkaitė
Expositions: “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)