The cultural life in Vilnius in the interwar period

It was Vilnius that was the center of national traditions

and Polishness during partitions. After the January Upris-

ing failed, the cultural life of the city virtually collapsed.

Only after 1919, when Stefan Batory University, closed by

czarist authorities in 1832, was reactivated, were the im-

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tablished in the city. The city soon became the center of the

artistic community. As a result of its great achievements in

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The cultural life in Vilnius in the interwar period

Every city, growing for centuries as the natural environment for its inhabitants, is the

center of attention where the best and bravest citizens make countless efforts in the aim of

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to best meet the needs both practical and spiritual of whole generations

[13, p. 1].

The interwar period in Vilnius

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operating in the city was great. Both the number of ex-

hibitions and the participation of the artists in Vilnius in

Polish and foreign exhibitions also testify to the presence

of Polish culture in that city.

Vilnius organizations of artists

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the interwar period was the Vilnius Society of Fine Arts

(:LOHĔVNLH7RZDU]\VWZR$UW\VWyZ3ODVW\NyZ). It was estab-

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existence of WTAP, except for 1923–1925, when he was

traveling abroad. The Statute of the Society, was approved

on May 28

, 1920, provided the basic objectives that

included the promoting of artistic culture, providing as-

sistance to artists and integrating the artistic community.

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they all were from Vilnius. They all studied at the Acad-

emy of Fine Arts in Petersburg. Soon the Society grew and

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They were painters, architects and a sculptor. On Febru-

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offering three-year-long courses of studies. The program

included classes in drawing, painting, sculpture, technical

drawing, composition and graphic. Lectures included art

history, perspective, anatomy, pedagogy, drawing methods

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out that there was a great demand for this type of school

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2012

No. 2(32)

DOI: 10.5277/arc120216

96 $QGU]HM%LDáNLHZLF]

in Vilnius and around it. The school was very popular and

its operation was specially appreciated in the artistic com-

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tions read that: “The secondary school of drawing is the

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dilettantism in pure art and applied by implanting students

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[3, p. 43].

Although as a result of withdrawing the min-

isterial aid in 1923 the school was closed, the members

of WTAP continued to teach drawing. Two years later the

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Ten years after WTAP was established, on February

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Society of Independent Artist Painters (:LOHĔVNLH 7R-

ZDU]\VWZR 1LH]DOHĪQ\FK $UW\VWyZ 0DODU]\). Its Statute

provided that its objective is to “spiritually unite the ar-

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of society in order to strive together for the elevation of

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[6, p. 30]. Two years later, WT-

NAM with its new members assumed the name of Vilnius

Society of Independent Fine Arts (:LOHĔVNLH7RZDU]\VWZR

1LH]DOHĪQ\FK$UW\VWyZ6]WXN3ODVW\F]Q\FK). Its new Stat-

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exhibitions, lectures, and opening art schools. The Soci-

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tive (6SyáG]LHOQLD3UDF\$UW\VWyZ:LOHĔVNLFK´³6RFLHW\

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with their Statutes, apart from protecting their professional

interests, all of those organizations contributed to a great

increase in the number of exhibitions and turning Vilnius

into an important artistic and cultural center in Poland. The

¿UVWH[KLELWLRQLQ9LOQLXVDIWHU\HDUVZDVKHOGLQ'H-

cember 1921. It exhibited the Polish painting masterpieces

since the second half of the 19

century until contempo-

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ety of Fine Arts was opened on April 23

, 1922 in Vilnius

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the community of artists

[14, pp. 7–9], [9, pp. 2–3], [4,

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who relentlessly strives for impeccable composition, syn-

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and respect for the mastery of early painting is a means of

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neau could be distinguished from among other contempo-

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[11,

p. 58].

Already in October the same year, the Society held

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[2, p. 15]. The ex-

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the Warsaw cultural community. Apart from a lot of ex-

hibitions held by the organizations of artists operating in

Vilnius, individual exhibitions were organized in the city

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on culture should also be noted. For two years since Sep-

tember 1921, WTAP published its own magazine dedi-

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so periodicals on art were published during the interwar

period

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of its publishing space to culture too. The authors of art

reviews in the press included art historians, local writers,

journalists as well as artists themselves. The community

of Vilnius was informed on a regular basis not only of the

current artistic events in the city but it was provided with

the information about culture in general as well. Undoubt-

edly, these activities contributed to the popular growth of

interest in art.

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The Cultural Magazines in Vilnius

Architecture of Vilnius

Some of the buildings which were erected during the

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of Polish architecture of that period. They include slight-

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sculptor and architect who designed the church of the Sa-

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Although the artist made an audacious attempt on design-

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ing on the patters on French modernism, one could expect

that his talents would win over still uncontrolled material

DQGRYHUWO\YLYLGLPDJLQDWLRQ´ [13, p. 91]. In the 1960s,

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Store Building which opened on June 12, 1924 (Fig. 1)

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should be emphasized that all these exhibitions had special

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its cultural life.

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1939). Source [6, pp. 47–48].

98 $QGU]HM%LDáNLHZLF]

purchased the building that was only in the construction

stage. “The original design of the building was different:

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of the city, at the junction of three streets. These plans

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in 1921–1924. The architects used a steel-reinforced con-

crete frame structure that enabled them to freely design

the open-space interior layout. The main staircase with el-

evators was designed in the center opposite the entrance.

Its architecture is dominated by simple forms with simple

historical detail and the rhythmic layout of pilasters em-

phasizes the monumental character of the façade. There

is a certain analogy visible between that building and the

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signed 10 years earlier by the same team of architects in

Warsaw. It can be claimed that the classical composition of

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end of the 1920s. Its architecture was based on a symmet-

rical axial plan, whereas the forms – tympana, columns,

and porticos followed the ancient–Palladian patterns [10,

p. 30]. That monumental structure, destroyed in 1944, was

designed in its forms in line with academic classicism. At

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of academic classicism. 7KHODUJHEXLOGLQJRIWKH,QVWLWXWH

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built in 1928–1929, had similar architecture [13, p. 162].

The construction of the Technical School designed by

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“The complex, designed in the spirit of historicism, was

composed of the main building with an elevated projection

and side wings whose structures cascaded along with the

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level ready for rustication, prominent cornices and sills.

The tall roofs with lucarnes and architecturally designed

chimneys provided an attractive and monumental build-

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were also other buildings designed in Vilnius with half-

modern features and no distinct forms of academic clas-

sicism such as constructed in 1931 the building of the

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beginning of the 1930s. Interesting public buildings were

erected in the second half of the 1930s too.

They include for instance the building constructed in

1936-1937 of 3RZV]HFKQD .DVD 2V]F]ĊGQRĞFL designed

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features a representative interior of the two-storied tall

transaction room decorated with a wall painting by Lu-

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is a triptych painted with tempera in al seccoWHFKQLTXH

presenting the allegories of Fortune, Work, Frugality. The

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the entrance to the treasury vault. “Everything was clearly

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building constructed in 1937–1938 of %DQN*RVSRGDUVWZD

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The four-storied building in reinforced-steel frame

structure also had its transaction room decorated with

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the sides by the paintings of such national industries as

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main centers of artistic life in Poland, a city of art and cul-

ture. All of the phenomena described above testify to the

existence of an important cultural community affecting not

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Vilnius, culture, interwar

only the city itself but far beyond its borders. It can be

claimed that Vilnius was one of the most important cul-

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References

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>@ %LDáNLHZLF]$/XGRPLU6OHĔG]LĔVNL±3LHUZV]\UHNWRU

3ROLWHFKQLNL.UDNRZVNLHM.UDNyZ

>@ &:\VWDZD6]NRá\5\VXQNRZHM:7$3³3RáXGQLH´:LOQR

No. 1, p. 43.

[4] Inter.,3RSLVQDV]\FK SODVW\NyZ“*D]HWD.UDMRZD´ 1922, No. 86

(20 IV), p. 3.

>@ .LHQLHZLF].']LHáRĝOHQG]LQVNLHJRZ3.2³6áRZR´1R

346, 15 XII, p. 5.

>@ .RQVWDQW\QyZ ' :LOHĔVNLH 7RZDU]\VWZR $UW\VWyZ 3ODVW\NyZ

± Warszawa 2006.

[7] Luba I., 0DODUVWZR PRQXPHQWDOQH ,, 5]HF]\SRVSROLWHM, “Biuletyn

KLVWRULLV]WXNL޵9RO/;;1R±:DUV]DZD

>@ 0DáDFKRZLF] ( $UFKLWHNWXUD GZXG]LHVWROHFLD PLĊG]\ZRMHQQHJR

w Wilnie, [In:] 6WXGLDLPDWHULDá\GRWHRULLDUFKLWHNWXU\LXUEDQLVW\-

ki, Warszawa 1989.

[9] Nix, =6DORQX6]WXN3LĊNQ\FK³*D]HWD:LOHĔVND´1R

(11 V), pp. 2–3;

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[11] 3LHUZV]D GRURF]QD Z\VWDZD :LOHĔVNLHJR 7RZDU]\VWZD $UW\VWyZ

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The entrance projection was decorated with the sculpture

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the second half of the 1930s was the Social Insurance

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ed that “it is one of the most prominent architectural struc-

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other residential buildings designed in the interwar period

such as townhouses, villas, single family houses. Apart

from that there were a lot of great designs that were never

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why some of the constructions that began just before 1939

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It can be claimed that many new important buildings

were constructed in the interwar period in Vilnius. It is

clear that architects cooperated with sculptors and paint-

ers. Apart from the architectural heritage of the interwar

period one should not forget that Vilnius is a city with

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No. 20/21, pp. 7–9.

[13] :LOQR3U]HZRGQLNNUDMR]QDZF]\, Juljusza .áRVD3URI8QLZHUV\-

tetu St. Batorego, wyd. 3, Wilno 1937.

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del-w-przedwojennym-wilnie (access:12.01.2012).

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12.01. 2012).

The cultural life in Vilnius in the interwar period

Andrzej Białkiewicz

doi:10.5277/arc120216

Abstract