Vilnius. Winter morning

Tymon Niesiołowski (1882–1965), a teacher in the Faculty of Art at Stephen Báthory University, painted a romantic but also realistic view of Vilnius in winter from the window of his home on Pilies Street. The view has hardly changed, and is easily recognisable as looking up Šv. Jono Street, with the side of the university’s Church of St John and its bell tower on the right.

The building at 22 Pilies Street has an interesting history. For several centuries it was used by Vilnius University as apartments, which were occupied by a number of prominent people, such as Professor Jędrzej Śniadecki, and Ferdynand Ruszczyc, one of the founders of the Faculty of Art at Stephen Báthory University. Probably the most famous story, which has become a sort of urban myth, concerns the medical doctor August Becu. In 1824, the professor was struck by a ball of lightning in his home and killed. As Jan Bułhak wrote in his memoirs, Ferdynand Ruszczyc believed that the lightning that struck Dr Becu came through the window of the apartment ( Jan Bułhak, ‘Twenty-Six Years with Ruszczyc’, Vilnius, 2014, p. 206).

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: “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; "A Glance at the History of Lithuanian Art from Užupis", 30 August 2018 – 1 June 2019, Lithuanian Art Centre TARTLE (Užupio St. 40, Vilnius). Curator Giedrė Jankevičiūtė. “Vilnius, Wilno, Vilne 1918–1948. One city – many stories”, 23 May – 3 September 2023, National Museum in Krakow. Curators Giedrė Jankevičiūtė, Andrzej Szczerski. “Vilnius, Wilno, Vilne 1918–1948. One city – many stories”, 9 November – 2 February 2024, National Gallery of Art. Curators Giedrė Jankevičiūtė, Andrzej Szczerski.

Tymon Niesiołowski (1882–1965), a teacher in the Faculty of Art at Stephen Báthory University, painted a romantic but also realistic view of Vilnius in winter from the window of his home on Pilies Street. The view has hardly changed, and is easily recognisable as looking up Šv. Jono Street, with the side of the university’s Church of St John and its bell tower on the right.

The building at 22 Pilies Street has an interesting history. For several centuries it was used by Vilnius University as apartments, which were occupied by a number of prominent people, such as Professor Jędrzej Śniadecki, and Ferdynand Ruszczyc, one of the founders of the Faculty of Art at Stephen Báthory University. Probably the most famous story, which has become a sort of urban myth, concerns the medical doctor August Becu. In 1824, the professor was struck by a ball of lightning in his home and killed. As Jan Bułhak wrote in his memoirs, Ferdynand Ruszczyc believed that the lightning that struck Dr Becu came through the window of the apartment ( Jan Bułhak, ‘Twenty-Six Years with Ruszczyc’, Vilnius, 2014, p. 206).

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: “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; "A Glance at the History of Lithuanian Art from Užupis", 30 August 2018 – 1 June 2019, Lithuanian Art Centre TARTLE (Užupio St. 40, Vilnius). Curator Giedrė Jankevičiūtė. “Vilnius, Wilno, Vilne 1918–1948. One city – many stories”, 23 May – 3 September 2023, National Museum in Krakow. Curators Giedrė Jankevičiūtė, Andrzej Szczerski. “Vilnius, Wilno, Vilne 1918–1948. One city – many stories”, 9 November – 2 February 2024, National Gallery of Art. Curators Giedrė Jankevičiūtė, Andrzej Szczerski.