Vilniaus piešimo mokykla ir jos mokiniai

LTBeveik pusę amžiaus Vilniuje veikusi Piešimo mokykla minima beveik visoje menotyrinėje literatūroje, kai yra kalbama apie Lietuvos XIX a. antrosios pusės dailę. Daugiau ar mažiau apie ją yra rašę Tadas Adomonis, Vladas Drėma, Juozas Jurginis, Jonas Umbrasas, Svetlana Červonaja. Apie šią mokyklą užsimenama ir akademinėje „XX a. lietuvių dailės istorijoje", A. Endzino knygoje „Specialiojo mokslo raidos Lietuvoje bruožai", lenkų dailės istoriko Jerzy Malinovvskio straipsnyje „Meninė Vilniaus kultūra 1893-1945. Tiktai apie Vilniaus piešimo mokyklą buvo parašytas vienintelis dailėtyrininkų Stasio Budrio ir Veros Budrienės straipsnis, pasirodęs dar 1959 m. rinkinyje „Iš lietuvių kultūros istorijos". Jame remtasi Rusijos centriniame valstybiniame istorijos archyve Sankt Peterburge rasta dokumentine medžiaga, sutūpusia į penkis knygos puslapius. Dar kartą šia tema rašė istorikas A. Visockis 1986 m. straipsnyje apie J. Montvilos piešimo klases. Abiem atvejais Vilniaus piešimo mokyklos veikla nušviesta gan glaustai, vienpusiškai įvertinant jos reikšmę Lietuvos kultūros kontekste. Pastaraisiais metais padidėjęs pasaulio dailėtyrininkų susidomėjimas mistine „Vilniaus Akademija", kurioje dailės pradžiamokslį įgijo daugybė Europoje ir Amerikoje išgarsėjusių dailininkų, įgalino nuodugniau pasidomėti šios kiek neįprastos dailės mokymo įstaigos veikla. Sankt Peterburgo, Maskvos bei Vilniaus archyvuose aptikti šaltiniai smarkiai papildė, o atskirais atvejais ir pakoregavo apie ją turimas žinias, padėjo išaiškinti nežinomus mokinius, o kartu ir objektyviau įvertinti mokyklos vaidmenį XIX a. antrosios pusės - XX a. pradžios Lietuvos ir Europos dailės vystymesi. [Iš straipsnio, p. 166]

ENThe increased interest in the mystical "Vilnius Academy" shown by art historians - investigators of the Jewish art has prompted the author of the article to look into the activities of this school, which functioned in Vilnius for almost a half of a century (1866-1915). The material found in the archives of St. Petersburg, Moscow and Vilnius supplemented and in many cases made corrections to the available knowledge, enabled to bring to light its unknown students and to assess the role of the school more objectively. The tsarist administration's idea to establish a school of drawing in Vilnius was connected with two objectives: the practical one and the political one. The churches that were speedily erected in Lithuania lacked interior equipment since icon painting traditions did not exist in this country; an icon workshop set up in 1864 was not strongly- based and did not produce the expected results. Then it was decided to establish a real school of drawing so that "local art is also (...) converted into Russian forms". Ivan Trutnev, a Russian artist, graduate of St. Petersburg's Art Academy, was asked to establish the school and to direct its activities. Based on the curriculum designed by him, there were two departments in the school: crafts-drawing and painting. The studies lasted three years. All those wishing could attend the school, notwithstanding age, sex, nationality, religion or social status. These democratic precepts of the head of the school made the school particularly popular in the eyes of the public and caused dissatisfaction of the tsarist administration, which manifested itself in insufficient financing of the school. Therefore I. Trutnev, who was concerned about his students' preparation for higher art institutions, made attempts to reform the school.The first attempt to reform the School (1892), making it a branch of St. Petersburg's baron Stieglitz school, failed due to differences in departmental subordination. Then I. Trutnev decided to separate the Department of Crafts and Drawing , transferring it to the premises allotted by J. Montvila, a patron of the arts, and setting up an independent class of technical drawing. After this reform, the Vilnius School of Drawing became an educational institution preparing its students for the career of an artist or a teacher of drawing. At the same time teaching of art subjects was enhanced. The reorganization of St. Petersburg's Art Academy effected in 1894 and alterations in the student admission conditions prompted I. Trutnev to look for ways to open model and sketch classes. In 1896 he managed to get subsidies from St. Petersburg's Academy that enabled to realize a new School's curriculum prepared as early as in 1892. Based on this curriculum the length of studies was extended to four years. The first three were mandatory to all students and involved special courses and theoretical subjects. From 1899, an art pedagogue I. Rybakov from St. Petersburg started working at the School as I. Trutnev's assistant. Academic precision was combined with direct studies of nature. After I. Trutnev's death in 1912, S. Juzanin was unexpectedly appointed director of the School instead of I. Rybakov. Artist I. Sergeyev-Korobov taught at the School together with him. Soon the activities of the Vilnius School of Drawing were disrupted by the First World War.In the section dealing with the students of the School, an attempt is made, for the first time, to reveal the names of those persons who were unknown to date as well as to compile a list of all the students of the School. Among these names one sees a great deal of Lithuanian artists of the period between the two World Wars as well as many famous Jewish painters and sculptors. At the turn of the 20th century, the Vilnius School of Drawing was nearly the only one of its kind in the whole Russian Empire, where the Jews could study along with persons of other nationalities. Therefore the list of the School's students includes also Ch. Soutine, P. Kremegne, M. Kikoine, L. Segall, J. Lipchitz and others, who gave it the status of an "academy". An alphabetical list of student names revealed by the author of the article is appended. [From the publication p. 336-338]