Papročių ir mitologijos mįslės Vilniaus universiteto "Aisčių menės" freskoje

LTStraipsnio tikslas - atpažinti dailininko Petro Repšio freskoje "Metų laikai" kalendorinius papročius ir mitologines scenas, nustatyti jų etnologinius šaltinius. Straipsnyje ištirta, kad menininkui nebuvo tiek svarbus papročių tikslumas ir reprezentatyvumas, kiek vaizdingumas. Menininkas ne vienoje vietoje naudoja papročių motyvų sukeitimo metodą. [Iš leidinio]Reikšminiai žodžiai: Lietuvių kalendoriniai papročiai; Mitologija; Petras Repšys; Lithuanian calendar customs; Lithuanian mythology; Petras Repšys.

ENPetras Repšys created the fresco The Seasons in the Hall of the Balts in the Faculty of Philology of Vilnius University representing the world outlook of the Lithuanian people. Deities mentioned in folklore and heroes of legends are depicted in the vaults, and customs and traditions of the festivals of the year cycle, as well as work and entertainment, the most important of which are the St. George’s Day, the Midsummer’s Day, Michaelmas, Christmas Eve, Shrovetide are represented in the arches under the vaults. The arch niche is devoted to the customs of a human life cycle, the stained-glass windows reflect folk architecture and clothing, on the floor there is a plaquette with archaeological burial items of a woman and a child dedicated to the extinct Baltic tribes. Folk games of children and the youth are depicted in the nervures. The most characteristic motifs of the customs and games are painted on the columns. The entire fresco consists of more than 100 pictures. By accentuating the most significant festivals, Petras Repšys presented a peculiar interpretation of the year cycle including such holidays as the George's Day and Michaelmas and excluding other no less important holidays as All Souls’ Day and Easter. Simonas Daukantas’ concept of Lithuanian holidays, which excludes only Shrovetide and Michaelmas and includes All Souls’ Day and the Harvest feast, is closest to the artist's interpretation. In many places the artist presented an original interpretation of individual customs making use of the motifs that are atypical of calendar traditions. For example, no description of the custom of lifting a boat onto a tree on the Midsummer's Day or ravaging the effigy of More across the fields at Shrovetide, or driving a ploughshare through live coals during the First Furrow, and some less common ones such as putting a saw or an axe on the threshold of a cattle-shed on the St. George's Day is available.In many places the artist applies the method of transferring or even intermixing the customs. A vivid example of this is a transfer of a livestock votive characteristic of the George’s Day onto the autumn Sambar table or a transfer of the motif of the destruction of a witch mentioned in the legend about the Witch and her son Sietynas to the customs of Shrovetide when More, instead of being torn to pieces or burned, is ravages across the fields. Petras Repšys himself says the following: "I am not an ethnographer" thereby as though wishing to stress that first of all he wanted to achieve imagery rather than the accuracy of the depicted customs. Nonetheless, such a comprehensive presentation of calendar customs required a deep insight into and knowledge of ethnological literature. Though the fresco "The Seasons" cannot be regarded as an encyclopaedia of customs, it contains the abundance of information and at the same time some conundrums for an ethnographer. [From the publication]