Senoji medžio skulptūra ir dekoratyvinė drožyba Lietuvoje

• Old wood sculpture and decorative wood-carving of Lithuania
• Die alte litauische Holzskulptur und dekorative Schnitzerei

LTSovietmečio Lietuvoje, kai buvo slopinamos bet kokios tautiškumo apraiškos, liaudies dailės tyrimai buvo toleruojami. Bet itin nepalankiai žiūrėta į mėginimus tirti profesionaliąją praėjusių amžių dailę, nes apie ją buvo neįmanoma kalbėti be istorinio konteksto. Darbą sunkino ne tik cenzūra, bet ir griežta autocenzūra, kuriai paklusdavo autorius, norintis išleisti knygą. Tad šio darbo imdavosi vos vienas kitas mokslininkas. Tiesa, įvairios kūrybos sritys buvo vertinamos nevienodai. Pačios palankiausios sąlygos susiklostė ideologiniu požiūriu neutraliai taikomajai dekoratyvinei dailei bei architektūrai, todėl pokario metais išleista brandžių veikalų apie architektūrą. Taip pat tyrinėta tapyba bei grafika, palikusios daug pasaulietinės dailės pavyzdžių. Blogiausioje padėtyje atsidūrė šioje knygoje analizuojama skulptūra, kadangi beveik visi jos kūriniai Lietuvoje - sakralinės dailės objektai, apie kuriuos buvo vengiama kalbėti. Todėl autorė, aštuntajame-devintajame dešimtmetyje rinkdama medžiagą šiam leidiniui, buvo priversta intensyviai ieškoti darbų, nesusijusių su Bažnyčia. Ligi šiolei tyrinėtojų beveik nedominusi originali dekoratyvinė drožyba liudija didelę meninę šios srities specialistų kultūrą ir praplečia žinias apie praėjusių epochų dailę. [Iš Pratarmės]

ENAlthough wood plastic art has an important place in Lithuania's cultural heritage, folk sculpture has enjoyed special popularity and attracted artists' and art critics' attention for a long time. Professional sculpture and decorative wood-carving, which are no less impressive, have not been studied in depth yet. This book is intended to fill this gap, even if only partially. Lithuanian professional sculpture, which started developing rather late, began to spread as a result of closer contacts with Western Europe; these contacts increased after Christianity became a state religion. The first Gothic sculptures were either brought to Lithuania from abroad or were created by foreign artists residing in Lithuania, who chose their assistants from among the local masters. This led to the development of a Gothic sculpture that was in alignment with stylistic developments common to western European countries. Unfortunately, few Gothic and 16th century Renaissance works have survived. From the 17th century on, a greater number of wood plastic items survived, thus affording us an opportunity to trace their development over the course of two centuries. While the demand for sculptures increased, the number of specialists who worked for well-known customers remained small. Conditions were not favourable in Lithuania for the formation of guilds, which might regulate the activities of their members, ensure a high artistic level, and educate young craftsmen. The abscence of guilds led to a great stylistic variety in sculptures. The variety was due not only to foreign artists, alumni of various schools, and differences in their professional mastership, but also to the numerous local masters who quite often were keen on simplifying the form of their art works, thus making them closer to folk sculptures.Three principal trends, occasionally intertwining, are characteristic of the figure plastic art of the early 17th century: the first contains traces of Renaissance art, while the other two are related to Mannerism, or, to be more precise, to its different aspects. In some works one can feel a striving towards subtle beauty and elegance, in others towards special expression, so vivid in the spiritualized faces, full of deep sorrow and inner intensity. The natural development of sculpture was interrupted abruptly by wars that raged in the middle of the 17th century. The country, ravaged by war and economically ruined, held little attraction for foreign artists. Even wealthy patrons had to be satisfied with wood plastic items created by local masters, whose output increased during this period. Not until the 17th century did Baroque-influenced sculptures start to appear more frequently, and to finally take hold in the early 18th century. The influence of Baroque was reflected in a new realistic type of sculpture, with heavy massive forms, and a light and buoyant mood. Unlike western European sculptures, figures were not affected by the strong dynamics or pathetic expressions of Baroque, and their garments are simply designed. In the middle of the 18th century, together with the consolidation of Rococo, Lithuanian sculptures became lighter, more graceful, and agile. Exaltation, never expressed before, started to manifest itself. The role of draperies in forming a general silhouette became dominant. The draperies could be not only soft and plastic, but also hard and angular, determining instantly the character of the works themselves.With the maturing of Classicism and its firm establishment in Lithuanian architecture at the end of the 18th century, sculpture underwent noticeable changes. Attention focused on the human figure; and a striving for clearer, calmer, and freer compositions was observed. At the same time the number of sculptures, created by local masters, that strayed from aesthetic canons predominant in official art, increased. It is the peculiar stylistics of these works that frequently imparts an enormous expressiveness to them. Decorative wood-carving gained wide popularity in Lithuania, along with wooden sculpture. Its development was stimulated not only by the creative works of foreign masters, but also by popular local decorative engraving. The skills which local artists acquired in new decorative forms contributed to their further artistic development, and the appearance of entirely unique works. In the first half of the 17th century, decorative wood-carving was strongly influenced by northern European countries, especially the Netherlands. The diversity of the ornamental varieties of the period were closely interwined, among them geometrical, floral and figure motifs. In the first group, forms imitating metal-work predominated. They were related to a softer and more plastic rolwerk with a higher relief. The second group contained, alongside Renaissance flower vases, stylized trees and bushes, as well as compositions of luscious fruits. Occasionally, minor architectural elements, most frequently volutes, were overgrown with leaves covering their edges. The third group embraced griffins, grotesque masks, winged small heads, as well as diverse herma variations, among which portrait images appeared. [...]. [From the publication]