Frederick Arthur Farrell visited Poland around 1925, and produced the series of etchings ‘Poland and Danzig. Twelve Etchings’. He visited Vilnius too, and made a picture of Cathedral Square in the spring. He followed the English landscape tradition, and was particularly successful at creating an impression of space, depth and a vast sky. In this etching, the line of the horizon comes down to the ground, and therefore the cathedral looks unusually light. People linger in front of the cathedral and at the foot of the bell tower, and passers-by and a few Polish soldiers can be seen in the foreground. The proportions of the figures look reduced compared to the buildings, and the people seem unimportant against the background of the majestic architecture. Farrell was very skilled at drawing urban views.
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)