A lithograph from the portfolio ‘Recollections of Vilnius’, V

Every page of ‘Recollections of Vilnius’ presents a different place and occasion: one takes us back to the Midsummer Fair in Cathedral Square, another to some food shops, a third to the sacred space by St Anne’s Church and the gates to the Bernardine Monastery, which were removed in 1869, a fourth to a charity fair in support of the needy, and a fifth to the gates into the governor-general’s residence, approached by the governor in a caleche. The artist wittily caught the characters of the people, their movements, postures and clothes. He expressed the Biedermeier style, the customs and the everyday life of people at that time. Bachmatowicz often depicted scenes showing the work of artists and onlookers. He made drawings of Isidor Weiss’ shop of prints and paintings, a stall with prints at the Midsummer Fair, surrounded by curious bystanders, pictures donated to a charity lottery, and an artist painting from nature by the gates to the Bernardine Monastery. Art did not play a major role in the life of the people of Vilnius, but Bachmatowicz was very concerned about the public’s regard for it.

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album VILNIUS. TOPOPHILIA II (2015). Compiler and author Laima Laučkaitė

Every page of ‘Recollections of Vilnius’ presents a different place and occasion: one takes us back to the Midsummer Fair in Cathedral Square, another to some food shops, a third to the sacred space by St Anne’s Church and the gates to the Bernardine Monastery, which were removed in 1869, a fourth to a charity fair in support of the needy, and a fifth to the gates into the governor-general’s residence, approached by the governor in a caleche. The artist wittily caught the characters of the people, their movements, postures and clothes. He expressed the Biedermeier style, the customs and the everyday life of people at that time. Bachmatowicz often depicted scenes showing the work of artists and onlookers. He made drawings of Isidor Weiss’ shop of prints and paintings, a stall with prints at the Midsummer Fair, surrounded by curious bystanders, pictures donated to a charity lottery, and an artist painting from nature by the gates to the Bernardine Monastery. Art did not play a major role in the life of the people of Vilnius, but Bachmatowicz was very concerned about the public’s regard for it.

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album VILNIUS. TOPOPHILIA II (2015). Compiler and author Laima Laučkaitė