Vilnius. A corner by the Vilnia

Stefan Kacprowski (1887–1948) visited Vilnius in the 1930s, and made some etchings of offbeat places in the city, such as the meat market near the Town Hall, and the riverside in Užupis. Crooked and dilapidated huts, outhouses and grimy sheds cling to the slopes of the bank and climb up it. The rhythm of the chaotic shapes conveys the character of the poor district, and the openwork cross-hatching with a drypoint needle puts life into the picture. The everyday activity on the side of a river devastated by floods is barely noticeable: women draw water, they carry away full buckets on a yoke, and wash clothes in the river. The ancient way of life has not changed here for centuries.

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)

Stefan Kacprowski (1887–1948) visited Vilnius in the 1930s, and made some etchings of offbeat places in the city, such as the meat market near the Town Hall, and the riverside in Užupis. Crooked and dilapidated huts, outhouses and grimy sheds cling to the slopes of the bank and climb up it. The rhythm of the chaotic shapes conveys the character of the poor district, and the openwork cross-hatching with a drypoint needle puts life into the picture. The everyday activity on the side of a river devastated by floods is barely noticeable: women draw water, they carry away full buckets on a yoke, and wash clothes in the river. The ancient way of life has not changed here for centuries.

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)