Motherhood / La Maternidad

Matas Mečislovas Menčinskas (1897–1942) went down in Lithuanian art history as a wood sculptor, possibly the only one to work in the style of Expressionism. He remains relevant today because, while belonging to a generation when Neoclassicism was popular, he worked in a completely different style, developing high-quality salon Modernism. The sculptor participated in exhibitions during his time in Argentina, but did not achieve recognition, and struggled to survive on his art alone. In 1934, the impoverished artist was transported back to his homeland at no cost. The year 1932 marked the peak of his achievement, when his sculptures The Philosopher and Motherhood were officially presented by the Lithuanian Argentinian community to senior officials in Lithuania. The diaspora chaplain Juozas Janilionis brought them to Lithuania and presented them to President Antanas Smetona and Prime Minister Juozas Tūbelis. The sculpture Motherhood, which conveys the intimate relationship between a mother and child and shows the influence of Rodin, probably adorned one of the offices of Prime Minister Juozas Tūbelis.*

Text author Jurgita Ludavičienė

* Laura Petrauskaitė. Matas Menčinskas ir jo amžininkai: menininkų migracijos reikšmė 20 a. pirmos pusės Lietuvos dailės modernizacijai. Vilnius, 2019, p. 170.

Bibl.: Laura Petrauskaitė, „Perrašant tarpukario Lietuvos dailininkų biografijas: Skulptorius Matas Menčinskas“, in: Naujasis Židinys-Aidai, 2014, NR. 5, p. 28-35.

 

Before being acquired by the TARTLE collection, the sculpture Motherhood belonged to private collectors in the Žaliakalnis district of Kaunas. This suggests that it might have been a long-lost commemorative gift from the Lithuanian community in Argentina to Prime Minister Juozas Tūbelis or President Antanas Smetona. In 1932, on arriving in Kaunas, Juozas Janilionis, the chaplain to the Lithuanian colony, presented the works Motherhood (La Maternidad) and The Philosopher (El Filósofo) by the sculptor Matas Menčinskas, on behalf of Lithuanian organisations in South America, to the nation’s leaders. The diplomat Povilas Gaučys, who served in the Lithuanian diplomatic mission in South America, also had several of Menčinskas’ Argentinian-period works in his collection in Kaunas. When the families of Lithuanian politicians and diplomats fled to the West during the Second World War, much of their property was left behind and was gradually dispersed. After crossing the Atlantic, the sculpture Motherhood continued its journey in Kaunas, changing hands several times.

Text author Laura Petrauskaitė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album THE ART OF MATERIALS (2024). Compiler and text author Jurgita Ludavičienė, ARTISTS ON THE MOVE (2025). Compiler and text author Laura Petrauskaitė

Matas Mečislovas Menčinskas (1897–1942) went down in Lithuanian art history as a wood sculptor, possibly the only one to work in the style of Expressionism. He remains relevant today because, while belonging to a generation when Neoclassicism was popular, he worked in a completely different style, developing high-quality salon Modernism. The sculptor participated in exhibitions during his time in Argentina, but did not achieve recognition, and struggled to survive on his art alone. In 1934, the impoverished artist was transported back to his homeland at no cost. The year 1932 marked the peak of his achievement, when his sculptures The Philosopher and Motherhood were officially presented by the Lithuanian Argentinian community to senior officials in Lithuania. The diaspora chaplain Juozas Janilionis brought them to Lithuania and presented them to President Antanas Smetona and Prime Minister Juozas Tūbelis. The sculpture Motherhood, which conveys the intimate relationship between a mother and child and shows the influence of Rodin, probably adorned one of the offices of Prime Minister Juozas Tūbelis.*

Text author Jurgita Ludavičienė

* Laura Petrauskaitė. Matas Menčinskas ir jo amžininkai: menininkų migracijos reikšmė 20 a. pirmos pusės Lietuvos dailės modernizacijai. Vilnius, 2019, p. 170.

Bibl.: Laura Petrauskaitė, „Perrašant tarpukario Lietuvos dailininkų biografijas: Skulptorius Matas Menčinskas“, in: Naujasis Židinys-Aidai, 2014, NR. 5, p. 28-35.

 

Before being acquired by the TARTLE collection, the sculpture Motherhood belonged to private collectors in the Žaliakalnis district of Kaunas. This suggests that it might have been a long-lost commemorative gift from the Lithuanian community in Argentina to Prime Minister Juozas Tūbelis or President Antanas Smetona. In 1932, on arriving in Kaunas, Juozas Janilionis, the chaplain to the Lithuanian colony, presented the works Motherhood (La Maternidad) and The Philosopher (El Filósofo) by the sculptor Matas Menčinskas, on behalf of Lithuanian organisations in South America, to the nation’s leaders. The diplomat Povilas Gaučys, who served in the Lithuanian diplomatic mission in South America, also had several of Menčinskas’ Argentinian-period works in his collection in Kaunas. When the families of Lithuanian politicians and diplomats fled to the West during the Second World War, much of their property was left behind and was gradually dispersed. After crossing the Atlantic, the sculpture Motherhood continued its journey in Kaunas, changing hands several times.

Text author Laura Petrauskaitė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album THE ART OF MATERIALS (2024). Compiler and text author Jurgita Ludavičienė, ARTISTS ON THE MOVE (2025). Compiler and text author Laura Petrauskaitė