The interior of the Church of St Philip and St James

Barbara Narębska-Dębska (1921–2000) was the daughter of Stefan Narębski, an architect of interwar Vilnius, the restorer of the cathedral, the Bishops’ Palace and other architectural monuments, and a professor at Stephen Báthory University. She was born and grew up in Vilnius, and thanks to her father she became familiar with the city’s cultural heritage. During the Second World War, Narębska-Dębska studied at the Institute of Art in Vilnius, which was later closed down by the Nazis. The Soviets, who replaced the Nazis, put her in Lukiškės gaol, and then deported her to Siberia. When she returned from exile, she moved to Poland and settled in Toruń. She finished her studies at Toruń University, became a graphic artist, and was an active organiser of artistic life. Her style, based on the free interpretation of architectural rhythms, was influenced by her childhood impressions and the old architecture of Vilnius.

The lithograph The interior of the Church of St Philip and St James was done while she was still a student in Vilnius. When she was a child, her family lived at 4 Savickio Street, next to the Church of St Philip and St James, which she often attended. The interior of the church, with the side entrance and the Baroque organ loft, shows how in the future the artist would focus on the rhythmic melody of architectural forms.

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album VILNIUS. TOPOPHILIA I (2014). Compiler and author Laima Laučkaitė
Expositions: "Vilnius Time", 5 June 2023 – 1 May 2024, Lithuanian Art Centre TARTLE (Užupio St. 40, Vilnius). Curators Ieva Burbaitė and Emilija Vanagaitė.

Barbara Narębska-Dębska (1921–2000) was the daughter of Stefan Narębski, an architect of interwar Vilnius, the restorer of the cathedral, the Bishops’ Palace and other architectural monuments, and a professor at Stephen Báthory University. She was born and grew up in Vilnius, and thanks to her father she became familiar with the city’s cultural heritage. During the Second World War, Narębska-Dębska studied at the Institute of Art in Vilnius, which was later closed down by the Nazis. The Soviets, who replaced the Nazis, put her in Lukiškės gaol, and then deported her to Siberia. When she returned from exile, she moved to Poland and settled in Toruń. She finished her studies at Toruń University, became a graphic artist, and was an active organiser of artistic life. Her style, based on the free interpretation of architectural rhythms, was influenced by her childhood impressions and the old architecture of Vilnius.

The lithograph The interior of the Church of St Philip and St James was done while she was still a student in Vilnius. When she was a child, her family lived at 4 Savickio Street, next to the Church of St Philip and St James, which she often attended. The interior of the church, with the side entrance and the Baroque organ loft, shows how in the future the artist would focus on the rhythmic melody of architectural forms.

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album VILNIUS. TOPOPHILIA I (2014). Compiler and author Laima Laučkaitė
Expositions: "Vilnius Time", 5 June 2023 – 1 May 2024, Lithuanian Art Centre TARTLE (Užupio St. 40, Vilnius). Curators Ieva Burbaitė and Emilija Vanagaitė.