A glimpse of Vilnius

The painter Franciszek Jurjewicz (1849–1924) was born in Pskov, studied law at the Sorbonne, and simultaneously attended classes in the painting studio of Louis Emile Dardoise in Paris. He came to Vilnius in 1882, and stayed for the rest of his life. He was an active public figure, joined in the legal and illegal activities of the local Polish community, worked as a newspaper editor, and was a member of the National Democratic Party. Despite all these activities, he did not neglect his painting: he liked to paint Vilnius. In 1910, he painted A glimpse of Vilnius from the Hill of Three Crosses, a vast view of the city, in which the Church of Sts Johns and its bell tower, the Bernardine friary and the tower of Gediminas’ Castle rise above the Bernardine Gardens and the red roofs of the Old Town. The city is deep in glimmering foliage, smoke is rising from numerous chimneys, and the misty view, sprinkled with sunlight, shows Jurjewicz’s interest in Impressionism. Optical effects, transitory lighting and the rosy colours of the sky create the impression of a dynamic city early in the morning or in the evening shortly before nightfall.

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 painter Franciszek Jurjewicz (1849–1924) was born in Pskov, studied law at the Sorbonne, and simultaneously attended classes in the painting studio of Louis Emile Dardoise in Paris. He came to Vilnius in 1882, and stayed for the rest of his life. He was an active public figure, joined in the legal and illegal activities of the local Polish community, worked as a newspaper editor, and was a member of the National Democratic Party. Despite all these activities, he did not neglect his painting: he liked to paint Vilnius. In 1910, he painted A glimpse of Vilnius from the Hill of Three Crosses, a vast view of the city, in which the Church of Sts Johns and its bell tower, the Bernardine friary and the tower of Gediminas’ Castle rise above the Bernardine Gardens and the red roofs of the Old Town. The city is deep in glimmering foliage, smoke is rising from numerous chimneys, and the misty view, sprinkled with sunlight, shows Jurjewicz’s interest in Impressionism. Optical effects, transitory lighting and the rosy colours of the sky create the impression of a dynamic city early in the morning or in the evening shortly before nightfall.

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)