The entrance to the Church of Saint George from Sniadeckych Street

Polish artists continued to portray Vilnius during the Second World War as a city with a glorious past, both romantic and sometimes even fantastic. Their works nevertheless usually had an air of tension and drama. For example, Leon Kosmulski (1904–1952) depicted the Missionaries’ Church in an imaginary environment, with a lofty background of Baroque clouds producing a strong emotional effect.

After the war ended, most former teachers and students from the Faculty of Art at Stephen Báthory University moved to cities in northwest Poland, taking with them much of their creative legacy. The tradition of Vilnius’ interwar art and research took root most firmly in the Faculty of Art at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. The Vilnius Neoclassical tradition, with its emphasis on history and heritage protection, lived on.

Text authors Dovilė Barcytė and Ieva Burbaitė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album KAUNAS–VILNIUS / 1918–1945 (2021). Compilers and text authors Dovilė Barcytė and Ieva Burbaitė
Expositions: "1918-1945 / Kaunas-Vilnius", 27 August 2020 – 21 August 2021, Lithuanian Art Centre TARTLE (Užupio St. 40, Vilnius). Curators Dovilė Barcytė and Ieva Burbaitė.

Polish artists continued to portray Vilnius during the Second World War as a city with a glorious past, both romantic and sometimes even fantastic. Their works nevertheless usually had an air of tension and drama. For example, Leon Kosmulski (1904–1952) depicted the Missionaries’ Church in an imaginary environment, with a lofty background of Baroque clouds producing a strong emotional effect.

After the war ended, most former teachers and students from the Faculty of Art at Stephen Báthory University moved to cities in northwest Poland, taking with them much of their creative legacy. The tradition of Vilnius’ interwar art and research took root most firmly in the Faculty of Art at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. The Vilnius Neoclassical tradition, with its emphasis on history and heritage protection, lived on.

Text authors Dovilė Barcytė and Ieva Burbaitė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album KAUNAS–VILNIUS / 1918–1945 (2021). Compilers and text authors Dovilė Barcytė and Ieva Burbaitė
Expositions: "1918-1945 / Kaunas-Vilnius", 27 August 2020 – 21 August 2021, Lithuanian Art Centre TARTLE (Užupio St. 40, Vilnius). Curators Dovilė Barcytė and Ieva Burbaitė.