How to represent a country erased from the political world map: case study of Lithuania in the 19th century

• Žurnalo archyvas: straipsnio tekstas

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Jonas Kazimieras Vilčinskis; "Vilniaus albumas"; Lietuvos menas; Litografija; Meno globa; Jan Kazimierz Wilczyński; "Vilnius Album"; Lithuanian art; Litography; Patronage of art.

ENThe goal of the article is to discuss the extraordinary cultural initiative manifested in the form of a publication titled “The Vilnius Album” by J. K. Vilčinskis that was released in Lithuania in the 19th century. This initiative was a way to widely spread the knowledge to Europe about the existence of Lithuania via non-political means. The chosen case study allowed revealing the problematic aspects of the history, politics, society, religion, culture and art of Lithuania in the 19th century, back when the country had lost its autonomy and had become a part of Russia. The representativeness of the album is chosen as the research object as it is novel aspect which still has not been studied and which, according to the belief of the author of this article, is the fundamental idea behind its creation. The author attempts to affirm this statement in the article. A detailed analysis of the contents of the album consisting of approximately 353 illustrations helped discern and discuss the following key representative categories of images: architectural objects and pieces of art, portraits, historical events and illustrations of literature works. The criteria used for selection of illustrations were explained and the main factors determining positive results, its exceptional quality and aesthetics guaranteeing interest to its viewers, were discerned. Such a study is presented to the community at the international level for the first time. Hopefully, the article will be useful in further development of intercultural communication possibilities. [From the publication]