The fair in Vilnius by the Church of St Peter and St Paul

Wincenty Slendziński (1837–1909) studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, took part in the 1863 uprising, was imprisoned, and lived in exile for two decades. He only returned to Vilnius in 1883, and was a productive artist, painting realistic landscapes, portraits, historical compositions and religious pictures. After he married Anna Balcewicz, the widow of the photographer Józef Czechowicz (1818–1888), he gained access to Czechowicz’s photographs of Vilnius, which, according to the historian J. Mulevičiūtė, he used rather often (J. Mulevičiūtė, Besotis žvilgsnis. Lietuvos dailė ir vizualioji kultūra 1865–1914, Vilnius, 2012, p. 60). This picture by Slendziński is based on the photograph Vilnius. St Peter’s Day Fair by the Church of St Peter and St Paul by Czechowicz, dated 1870–1880. The angle of view and the depiction of the details are identical. Slendziński’s painting is divided stylistically into two parts: the upper part, which shows the church, is painted geometrically and matter-of-factly; while the lower part, which depicts a crowd of people by the church, is more relaxed and sketchy. The hustle and bustle of the fair is painted in soft dabs, from under which separate details emerge: peasants’ carts, figures of well-dressed town dwellers, and ladies’ colourful umbrellas.

Text author Laima Laučkaitė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album VILNIUS. TOPOPHILIA I (2014). Compiler and author Laima Laučkaitė, RES PUBLICA (2018). Compiler and author Rūta Janonienė
Expositions: “Vilnius. Topophilia. Views of Vilnius from the collection of the law firm Ellex Valiunas”, 5 October – 26 November 2017, National Gallery of Art, Vilnius (curator Laima Laučkaitė); "The Age of Romanticism", 11 September 2019 – 6 August 2020, Lithuanian Art Centre TARTLE (Užupio St. 40, Vilnius). Curator Rūta Janonienė; "Vilnius Time", 5 June 2023 – 1 May 2024, Lithuanian Art Centre TARTLE (Užupio St. 40, Vilnius). Curators Ieva Burbaitė and Emilija Vanagaitė; "The Pacs. Lilies in the Garden of History", 29 October 2024 – 26 January 2025, National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, Vilnius. Curators of the exhibition – Anna Sylwia Czyż, Vydas Dolinskas, Marijus Uzorka; "With Heart and Eyes. Wincenty Sleńdziński (1838–1909)", 3 March 2026 – 25 October 2026, Vilnius Picture Gallery. Curator Jolanta Širkaitė.

Wincenty Slendziński (1837–1909) studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, took part in the 1863 uprising, was imprisoned, and lived in exile for two decades. He only returned to Vilnius in 1883, and was a productive artist, painting realistic landscapes, portraits, historical compositions and religious pictures. After he married Anna Balcewicz, the widow of the photographer Józef Czechowicz (1818–1888), he gained access to Czechowicz’s photographs of Vilnius, which, according to the historian J. Mulevičiūtė, he used rather often (J. Mulevičiūtė, Besotis žvilgsnis. Lietuvos dailė ir vizualioji kultūra 1865–1914, Vilnius, 2012, p. 60). This picture by Slendziński is based on the photograph Vilnius. St Peter’s Day Fair by the Church of St Peter and St Paul by Czechowicz, dated 1870–1880. The angle of view and the depiction of the details are identical. Slendziński’s painting is divided stylistically into two parts: the upper part, which shows the church, is painted geometrically and matter-of-factly; while the lower part, which depicts a crowd of people by the church, is more relaxed and sketchy. The hustle and bustle of the fair is painted in soft dabs, from under which separate details emerge: peasants’ carts, figures of well-dressed town dwellers, and ladies’ colourful umbrellas.

Text author Laima Laučkaitė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album VILNIUS. TOPOPHILIA I (2014). Compiler and author Laima Laučkaitė, RES PUBLICA (2018). Compiler and author Rūta Janonienė
Expositions: “Vilnius. Topophilia. Views of Vilnius from the collection of the law firm Ellex Valiunas”, 5 October – 26 November 2017, National Gallery of Art, Vilnius (curator Laima Laučkaitė); "The Age of Romanticism", 11 September 2019 – 6 August 2020, Lithuanian Art Centre TARTLE (Užupio St. 40, Vilnius). Curator Rūta Janonienė; "Vilnius Time", 5 June 2023 – 1 May 2024, Lithuanian Art Centre TARTLE (Užupio St. 40, Vilnius). Curators Ieva Burbaitė and Emilija Vanagaitė; "The Pacs. Lilies in the Garden of History", 29 October 2024 – 26 January 2025, National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, Vilnius. Curators of the exhibition – Anna Sylwia Czyż, Vydas Dolinskas, Marijus Uzorka; "With Heart and Eyes. Wincenty Sleńdziński (1838–1909)", 3 March 2026 – 25 October 2026, Vilnius Picture Gallery. Curator Jolanta Širkaitė.