Apie žemaičių menininką: žinomas nežinomas Antanas Kazonas (1888-1981)

LTŠio straipsnio ašimi pasirinktas nei profesionaliajai, nei liaudies dailei neatstovaujantis Antanas Kazonas, žemaičių menininkas. Savitas ir kartu tipiškas, nes yra vienas iš daugybės žinomų ir jau užklotų užmaršties Šiaurės Žemaitijos kūrėjų. Jo asmenybė ir kūryba inspiruoja mėginimą atverti žemaičių menininkui būdingus bruožus. Paprastai pripažinti, tituluoti menininku turi aplinkiniai, t. y. kiti žemaičiai. A. Kazonas respondentų sutartinai buvo vadintas menininku, atribojant brolį Justiną Kazoną, kuris visų įvardytas itin puikiu meistru, amatininku. Baigusysis meno studijas lyg ir automatiškai laikomas menininku, bet yra išlygų - jo kūryba turi būti vertinama žemaičių, asmenybė - taip pat. Žinoma, išsilavinimas yra labai svarbu, tik jis gali turėti ir autodidaktinį pobūdį. Kalbant apie žemaičių menininką, išsilavinimo kriterijus neturėtų būti absoliutinamas. Kuriantysis gali būti toliau gretimos parapijos nenukeliavęs arba studijavęs geriausiose Europos meno mokyklose ir įsiurbęs į save pasaulinę dailės istoriją bei modernias meno tendencijas. Atrodytų, atvejai lyg ir negretintini, visgi jie siejami bendrystės. Tai - žemaitiškas meno genas. Jis yra paveldimas beveik taip pat kaip tarmė, nes irgi nulemtas geografinės erdvės, kraštovaizdžio, etninės kilmės ir, svarbiausia, - kūrėjais ir jų darbais sodrios aplinkumos, atmosferos, įelektrinančios kurti. [Iš straipsnio, p. 206]

ENThe article aims to present the forgotten creative activity of Antanas Kazonas (1888— 1981), who lived in Surbliai, and later Didvyčiai villages in Plungė district. The rich unexplored legacy of a self-taught painter - landscapes and paintings on religious themes - do not meet the usual criteria of professional or folk art. His somewhat fantastic landscapes are undoubtedly inspired by outstanding landscape masters, however, they are not copies, and the professional expression and the ability, e.g., to depict the mist in a forest is truly surprising. Kazonas is a multifaceted creator and master. In the 1930s, in Plungė and beyond it, he was a well-known interior decorator. Moreover, he had already had experience in the field of sacred carving. He and his brother Justinas Kazonas can also be considered as regional furniture designers and rural architects, as for more than three decades he used to build houses during summers and to manufacture sets of furniture in Alsėdžiai, Telšiai, Plateliai, Rietavas, Plungė and Kuliai parishes during winters. The houses built by the Kazonas brothers and the furniture made by them stood out for their splendour. The brothers used the style of historicist furniture, often of a dowry type, recreated the shapes of the furniture seen in Plateliai or other manors, and decorated the pieces with turned elements and carved accents. On the other hand, historicism was combined with new stylistic trends and the functionality of the folk furniture.The nine respondents who knew Antanas Kazonas, when interviewed by the author of the article in the process of material collection, unanimously called him an artist. That led to reflections on whether the phrase a Žemaitijan artist (a Žemaitijan painter) might be used as a concept with essential distinctive features. Antanas Kazonas was a unique and simultaneously a typical artist, one of the many previously well-known artists in Northern Žemaitija who drifted into oblivion. The article raises the idea of hereditability, a Žemaitijan artistic gene inherited almost like the Žemai- tijan dialect. It is predetermined by the geographical space, landscape, ethnic origin and, most importandy, by creators and their works born of the rich environment and the inspiring atmosphere. The power of the local artistic field has been alive for more than four hundred years. Many Žemaitijan artists are characterised by strong self-awareness, philosophical thoughtfulness, an original worldview, and creative passion and courage. The unifying feature is also their skillfulness, the knowledge of the craft technology, and mastery; as a result, a frequent Žemaitijan artist masters more than one type of art, genre, and material and is inclined toward universality. To sum up, a Žemaitijan genius loci is an artist, especially around Plungė and north of it. It is no coincidence that the 20th century Žemaitijan artists distinctiy shaped the development of Lithuanian art both through their creation and pedagogical activities. [From the publication]