Lithuanian Folk Art SYLLABUS

VYTAUTAS MAGNUS UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF HUMANITIES DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL STUDIES AND ETHNOLOGY Lithuanian Folk Art SYLLABUS Prepared by Dr. Asta Venskienė Kaunas, 2013 Translated and edited by UAB “Lingvobalt” Publication of the syllabus is supported by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Government of the Republic of Lithuania. Project title: “Renewal and Inter- nationalization of Bachelor Degree Programmes in History, Ethnology, Philoso- phy and Political Science” (project No.: VP1-2.2-ŠMM-07-K-02-048) © Asta Venskienė, 2013 © Vytautas Magnus University, 2013 Introduction The human need for artistic expression is deemed to be natural; however, in different societies it is manifested in different forms. The nature of artistic expression is determined by many things, in- cluding religion, vision of the world, social relationships of human beings, economic activities, etc. In pre-industrialised society, artistic expression was an integral part of people’s lifestyle. Amateur art in Lithuania is usually referred to as folk art or art of common people. The term ‘folk art’ was introduced in 1910 by J. Basanavičius. However, this term does not fully correspond to the equivalent terms used in other languages, e. g. Volkskunst or Bauernkunst in German, l’art populaire in French, sztuka ludowa in Polish. These terms describe the art originating among the common people, rather than the art of the entire nation. Before World War II the term ‘folk art’ was commonly-used, whereas in Soviet times the term ‘art of common people’ was more prevalent. Currently, the two terms are used interchangeably to refer to amateur art. In order to clarify, analyse and distinguish between different ideological values, researchers tend to classify Lithuanian folk art as follows: 1. the old traditional Lithuanian folk art (from ancient times to the early 20th c.); 2. the contemporary Lithuanian folk art (from 1940 to the pres- ent day). The question arises what constitutes Lithuanian folk art and what kind of its distinctive features became especially important in the early decades of the 20th century when professional arts became in- creasingly popular in the culture of the country. There is no general consensus on the concept of folk art, in particular contemporary, in Lithuania. The discussions focused primarily on the following questions: what should be regarded as folk art (what kind of cul- 3 Lithuanian Folk Art tural phenomenon and what sort of objects) and who is the creator of folk art? Creators of the traditional Lithuanian folk art are usually considered to be villagers and people living in small towns who are usually uneducated amateur artists. If we were to believe that only peasants create folk art, we will have to answer the question what category creative works of amateur artists from other social strata would fall under. Since the second half of the 20th century educated people living in towns and cities have started to actively engage in artistic creation and become folk masters. Thus, the term ‘folk’ has expanded. Researchers tend to treat artistic creation of amateur artists from all social strata as contemporary Lithuanian folk art. Currently, a folk artist differs from a professional artist only to the extent that the latter holds a higher education diploma. There are two directions both in traditional and modern folk art: 1. applied folk art (applied – decorative). In Lithuania applied folk art is best represented by artistic woodwork, decorated furniture, household accessories, fabrics, ironware, ceramics, paper trimmings, etc.; 2. imitative folk art. It includes sculpture, painting and graphics. Thus, folk art consists of the applied folk art and imitative folk art. Folk art is characterised by a team spirit. In order to be viable and to maintain ethnic values, folk art has to be developed on the ba- sis of the national traditions. Each ethnic group and nation creates original art. To this end and in order to maintain these traditions, the following elements contribute: 1. local raw materials; 2. consistent methods of production. 4 Lithuanian Folk Art Making an item of arts and crafts a man paid attention primarily to its practical characteristics. Matching decor and refined forms helped to achieve the unity of forms and decor. Unlike the applied folk art, the imitative folk art reflects the reality only by means of an image and depends on the creator’s worldview to a greater extent. In the imitative art, content is more significant and means of individual artistic expression are more pronounced. Folk art is considered to be the predecessor of the professional art. Ornament and Symbols in Lithuanian Folk Art In Lithuanian folk art, as in art in general, the ornament takes one of the most important roles. It is one of the foremost and primal elements that a man used in expressing his feeling of beauty. Defi- nitions of the ornament can be divided into two larger groups: 1. definitions highlighting the decoration purpose of the ornament. For example, ornament is a decorative element used in fine arts and architecture, a pattern of one or more rhythmi- cally repeating geometric or visual shapes that are arranged on the surface of an object in accordance with the individual parts of these shapes and the whole pattern, e. g. the ordinance; 2. definitions highlighting symbolic functions of the ornament. For example, ornament is a global historical phenomenon, a certain form of the perception of the world that manifests itself in rhythmical charts on items, has an aesthetic purpose and hides old, historically conditioned functions. Analysing the ornament we will deal with both its decorative and symbolic meanings. In terms of motifs the ornament is classified as follows: 1. geometric; 2. plant; 3. wildlife or zoomorphic; 4. anthropomorphic; 5. architectural (imagery of buildings or individual architectural elements: columns, cornices, etc.); 6. ornament of celestial bodies (Solaris); 7. religious (resulting from the direct influence of the Christian Church). 6 Lithuanian Folk Art A geometric ornament is regarded to be primary since it is simple and easily depicted. Ornament systems of all nations consist of the following shapes: point, line, circle, cross, triangle, square, etc. In Lithuania, a geometric ornament is currently widely used in folk art. Artists across Europe widely used a plant ornament in decoration. A plant ornament of Lithuanian folk is characterised by a distinctive selection of motifs, composition, peculiar general- ization of elements, considerable pastiche and graphics of the or- namental design. As a plant ornament of Lithuanian folk is very geometric, in most cases it is impossible to determine biological species of the plant. When folk art researchers find a slightly more realistic treatment of vegetation forms, they consider it to be an ornament of the late times, most likely influenced by the Renais- sance or Baroque, especially if vegetation is depicted on Baroque- type vases. Animals are represented rather rarely in Lithuanian folk art. In- stead, reptiles, birds, horse, ox and goat are more common. In traditional Lithuanian folk art a man was depicted very rarely. Furniture and other ornamented articles were not decorated with images of human household, for example, field work, weddings, etc., although these motifs were common in the ornamentation of other nations. Lithuanian ornamentation is characterised by the motifs of the Sun, Moon and stars. These motifs are more of symbols than ornaments. The genesis of imaging of celestial bodies in Lithuanian decoration remains uncertain: it may be Christian attributes; however, it may also be the remains of the pre-Christian culture and reflections of the old cults taken over by the Church. Lithuanian decoration also features purely religious motifs; the most important element here is symbol, which is sometimes also used as a decorative element. However, religious motifs such as monstrance, cup or heart are not common elements in Lithuanian folk decoration. 7 Lithuanian Folk Art Originality of Lithuanian folk art is not determined by motifs or ornaments as such; it is more related with a consistent use of certain motifs or patterns and decoration objects. A symbolic meaning of ornament motifs has evolved historically. In the course of time, pre- Christian meanings of the motifs were replaced by Christian ones and some symbols were substituted by others, similar in meaning or totally new. Eventually, the ornament has lost its symbolic meanings to retain only its decorative function. Lithuanian Folk Architecture In relation to architecture, we will focus on the decoration of residential houses and barns built at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 20th century. There were few purely decorative forms in folk architecture as efforts have been made to avoid un- necessary splendour. The most ornate elements in Lithuanian residential houses included: 1. roof panels; 2. wind-boards; 3. cornices; 4. decorative elements on the end of a ridge (Lith. lėkiai); 5. windows; 6. doors; 7. porches. Cutting technique was most commonly used for decorations; ornaments were made by combining planks at different angles and directions. Most widespread motifs in decoration were geometric and plant, wildlife motifs were less popular. 8 Lithuanian Folk Art Interior Design and Furniture in Lithuanian Folk Residential Houses In order to brighten the interior, outstanding colourful accents were used, but in a moderate way: 1. colourful bedspreads; 2. paintings; 3. furniture décor; 4. white textile: towels, tablecloths, pillow covers; 5. whitened furnaces. In Samogitia (Lith. Žemaitija) furnaces sometimes were patterned in various ways. In the 19th century tile furnaces were started to be built. Furniture filled the living area of residential houses and cre- ated the final image of the interior. The main decorative furniture included a table, benches, chairs, beds, towel-horses, spoon boxes, chests, dowry chests and cupboards.

Load more