A courtyard in the town

Pilies Street, the oldest street in the city, preserved its medieval appearance and its old courtyards until the 20th century. The yard at number 32 (according to the present numbering system) is an exceptional one. It has always attracted artists, and is the subject of numerous works of art. The shape of the courtyard is very graphic: a narrow space with an open staircase leads up to the first floor, which has a gallery and arches supported by columns. In the early 19th century there was a café here called Viktoria that was popular with students and members of the Philarets Society. The house was acquired in 1887 by Anelė Burbaitė-Römerienė, and it belonged to the Römer family until the Second World War. As a result, it was called ‘the Römer House’. This courtyard was chosen by Roman Jakimowicz (1899–1964), an art student at Stephen Báthory University, as the subject for an Expressionist work. His linocut is rough and expressive, the forms of the building are uneven, the surfaces are roughly modelled with strong contrasts, and the stone cobbles, the tile roofs and the uneven brick walls evoke an older and simpler way of life.

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)

Pilies Street, the oldest street in the city, preserved its medieval appearance and its old courtyards until the 20th century. The yard at number 32 (according to the present numbering system) is an exceptional one. It has always attracted artists, and is the subject of numerous works of art. The shape of the courtyard is very graphic: a narrow space with an open staircase leads up to the first floor, which has a gallery and arches supported by columns. In the early 19th century there was a café here called Viktoria that was popular with students and members of the Philarets Society. The house was acquired in 1887 by Anelė Burbaitė-Römerienė, and it belonged to the Römer family until the Second World War. As a result, it was called ‘the Römer House’. This courtyard was chosen by Roman Jakimowicz (1899–1964), an art student at Stephen Báthory University, as the subject for an Expressionist work. His linocut is rough and expressive, the forms of the building are uneven, the surfaces are roughly modelled with strong contrasts, and the stone cobbles, the tile roofs and the uneven brick walls evoke an older and simpler way of life.

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)