Petras Rimša ( pl, Piotr Rymsza, 3 November 1881 in Naudžiai,
Vilkaviškis district
Vilkaviškis () is a city in southwestern Lithuania, the administrative center of the Vilkaviškis District Municipality. It is located northwest from Marijampolė, at the confluence of of and rivers.
The city got its name from the Vilka ...
– 2 October 1961 in
Kaunas) was one of the first professional
Lithuanian sculptors and medalists.
Biography
Rimša was born to a family of farmers in
Suvalkija, which was then part of
Congress Poland. He was educated privately in
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
under
Pius Weloński
Pius ( , ) Latin for "pious", is a masculine given name. Its feminine form is Pia.
It may refer to:
People Popes
* Pope Pius (disambiguation)
* Antipope Pius XIII (1918-2009), who led the breakaway True Catholic Church sect
Given name
* Pius ...
(1900–1903), at the
École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts
The Beaux-Arts de Paris is a French ''grande école'' whose primary mission is to provide high-level arts education and training. This is classical and historical School of Fine Arts in France. The art school, which is part of the Paris Scienc ...
in Paris under
Antonin Mercié (1903–1904), and
Cracow Academy of Fine Arts under
Konstanty Laszczka
Konstanty Laszczka (born 3 September 1865 in Makowiec Duży; died 23 March 1956 in Kraków) was a Polish sculptor, painter, graphic artist, as well as professor and rector of the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. Laszczka became the ...
(1904–1905).
[ However, he never graduated and never received any degrees.][ After return to Lithuania in 1905, he immersed in various Lithuanian cultural activities. Rimša was involved in founding of the ]Lithuanian Art Society
The Lithuanian Art Society ( lt, Lietuvių dailės draugija) was a society that organized Lithuanians, Lithuanian art exhibitions and supported List of Lithuanian artists, Lithuanian artists. Based in Vilnius (then part of the Russian Empire), it ...
and organizing the first national art exhibition in 1907.[ He exhibited his first realistic and patriotic works, which gained him recognition in Lithuania. He returned to education, studying at the Drawing School of the ]Imperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts
The Imperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts (Russian: Императорское общество поощрения художеств (ОПХ)) was an organization devoted to promoting the arts that existed in Saint Petersburg from 182 ...
in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
from 1909 to 1911. After the studies he remained in Russia, participating in Lithuanian activities and exhibitions of Russian impressionists
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating ...
.[ He experimented with metal inlays and graphic works, which were influenced by ]Japonism
''Japonisme'' is a French term that refers to the popularity and influence of Japanese art and design among a number of Western European artists in the nineteenth century following the forced reopening of foreign trade with Japan in 1858. Japo ...
and Art Nouveau.[ In 1919, he returned to ]Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
, Lithuania. However, after the Polish takeover of the Vilnius Region
Vilnius Region is the territory in present-day Lithuania and Belarus that was originally inhabited by ethnic Baltic tribes and was a part of Lithuania proper, but came under East Slavic and Polish cultural influences over time.
The territor ...
, he moved to Kaunas. This experience left Rimša with strong anti-Polish feelings, which were often reflected in his medals.[ He lived in ]Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
in 1920–1924, visiting Italy, Great Britain, France, and toured United States in 1935–1938. After World War II, Lithuania was turned into the Lithuanian SSR
The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (Lithuanian SSR; lt, Lietuvos Tarybų Socialistinė Respublika; russian: Литовская Советская Социалистическая Республика, Litovskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialistiche ...
, one of the republics of the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
. Rimša was acceptable to Soviet authorities and he continued to create, though his works often had to reflect Soviet symbolism and ideology. In 1954, he was awarded the title of People's Artist
People's Artist is an honorary title in the Soviet Union, Union republics, in some other Eastern bloc states (and communist states in general), as well as in a number of post-Soviet states, modeled after the title of the People's Artist of the U ...
. He died in 1961 and was buried in Petrašiūnai Cemetery.[
]
Works
Sculpture
Rimša's early works are highly patriotic and realistic. His early work ''The Lithuanian School'' (''Lietuvos mokykla'' also ''Vargo mokykla'' ("")) depicts a mother teaching her child to read in their native Lithuanian language
Lithuanian ( ) is an Eastern Baltic language belonging to the Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family. It is the official language of Lithuania and one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.8 mill ...
in between her yarn spinning. This has become a symbol of the Lithuanian resistance to the Lithuanian press ban (1864–1904) and was featured on the 5 litas banknote.[ A large bronze copy was made in 1957 and was installed near the Vytautas the Great War Museum. It was inspired by his personal childhood education and experiences of his book smuggler brother.][ ''The Ploughman'' (''Artojas'') showcases misery and oppression of the Lithuanian farmers during the times of the ]Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
.[ It depicts a farmer with a starved horse, which uses its last strength to pull the plough. Several copies exist; one of them is held by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.] The sculpture received Pavel Stroganov Prize in 1910.[ It was later expanded into a sculptural trilogy with ''Enough of That Yoke'' (''Gana to jungo'', 1909), which showed rearing horse in an act of resistance, and ''Final'' (''Finalas'', 1910), which depicted a fallen horse. The two works were not well received and it seems that Rimša himself was not satisfied with them.][
While in ]Smolensk
Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest ...
, Rimša created ''In Torment'' (''Skausmas'') in 1916. This work, inspired by the hardships of World War I, depicts a suffering woman dressed in complex ornamented clothes.[ It is a stark departure from his earlier realistic works as it is symbolic, stylized, and heavily decorated with fine detail. It exhibits features of decorative design borrowed from graphic arts and ornamentation from traditional Lithuanian art. The overly complex and decorated style distracts the viewer from the intended message of pain and grief.][ This new style was later used for ''The Thinker'' (''Satyras'' or ''Mąstytojas'', 1921), ''Night and Day'' (''Diena ir naktis'', 1922), ''Tale of Spring and Autumn'' (''Pavasario ir rudens pasaka'', 1922), ''The Knight'' (''Riteris'' or ''Karžygys'', 1931).][ These works departed from strictly patriotic themes and became more Romantic.][
]
Medals and other
From 1923, Rimša created various medals. Most of them are patriotic, created to mark anniversaries. At least five medals were minted in 1920s that supported Lithuania in its conflict with the Second Polish Republic over the Vilnius Region
Vilnius Region is the territory in present-day Lithuania and Belarus that was originally inhabited by ethnic Baltic tribes and was a part of Lithuania proper, but came under East Slavic and Polish cultural influences over time.
The territor ...
.[ A particularly grotesque medal ''Union Desired'' (''Unijos nori'') was struck in 1925. It depicted Poland as a deranged woman devouring Lithuanian children in front of the ]Vilnius Cathedral
The Cathedral Basilica of St Stanislaus and St Ladislaus of Vilnius ( lt, Vilniaus Šv. Stanislovo ir Šv. Vladislovo arkikatedra bazilika; pl, Bazylika archikatedralna św. Stanisława Biskupa i św. Władysława, historical: ''Kościół Kated ...
. Other medals commemorated Great Seimas of Vilnius
The Great Seimas of Vilnius ( lt, Didysis Vilniaus Seimas, also known as the ''Great Assembly of Vilnius'', the ''Grand Diet of Vilnius'', or the ''Great Diet of Vilnius'') was a major assembly held on December 4 and 5, 1905 (November 21–22, 19 ...
of 1905, Klaipėda Revolt
The Klaipėda Revolt took place in January 1923 in the Klaipėda Region (also known as the Memel Territory or ). The region, located north of the Neman River, was detached from East Prussia, German Empire by the Treaty of Versailles and became a ...
of 1923, establishment of the ecclesiastical province of Lithuania in 1926, 500th death anniversary of Grand Duke Vytautas
Vytautas (c. 135027 October 1430), also known as Vytautas the Great ( Lithuanian: ', be, Вітаўт, ''Vitaŭt'', pl, Witold Kiejstutowicz, ''Witold Aleksander'' or ''Witold Wielki'' Ruthenian: ''Vitovt'', Latin: ''Alexander Vitoldus'', O ...
in 1930.[ After World War II, Rimša created medals incorporating required attributes of Soviet propaganda. However, 1947 medal for ]Martynas Mažvydas
Martynas Mažvydas (1510 – 21 May 1563) was a Protestant author who edited the first printed book in the Lithuanian language.
Variants of his name include Martinus Masvidius, Martinus Maszwidas, M. Mossuids Waytkūnas, Mastwidas, Mažvyda ...
and the first printed Lithuanian book display lyrics from the banned national anthem ''Tautiška giesmė
"" (; literally "The National Hymn") is the national anthem of Lithuania, also known by its opening words, "" (official translation of the lyrics: "Lithuania, Our Homeland", literally: "Lithuania, Our Fatherland"), and as "" ("The National Anthem ...
''. His last medal, created in 1959, was a self-portrait (obverse) with an exhibition of his works, including ''The Lithuanian School'' and ''The Ploughman'' (reverse).[ Rimša also created portraits ( busts and ]relief
Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...
s) of Motiejus Valančius
Motiejus Kazimieras Valančius ( pl, , also known by his pen-name ''Joteika'' and ''Ksiądz Maciek''; 1801–1875) was a Catholic Bishop of Samogitia, historian and one of the best known Lithuanian/Samogitian writers of the 19th century.
Biogr ...
(1904), Jonas Basanavičius
Jonas Basanavičius (, pl, Jan Basanowicz; 23 November 1851 – 16 February 1927) was an activist and proponent of the Lithuanian National Revival. He participated in every major event leading to the independent Lithuanian state and is often give ...
(1906), his mother (1910), diplomat Tomas Naruševičius (1924), Žemaitė (1926), and numerous others. He illustrated books by Vydūnas
Wilhelm Storost, artistic name Vilius Storostas-Vydūnas (22 March 1868 – 20 February 1953), mostly known as Vydūnas, was a Prussian-Lithuanian teacher, poet, humanist, philosopher and Lithuanian
writer, a leader of the Prussian Lithuani ...
(1912–1913) and Pranas Mašiotas (1920 and 1922).[
]
References
External links
Photo of ''In Torment'' (''Skausmas'') of 1916
Photos of 18 medals by Rimša
The medals of Petras Rimsa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rimsa, Petras
1881 births
1961 deaths
Lithuanian sculptors
20th-century sculptors
Burials at Petrašiūnai Cemetery