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NUOGO KŪNO PROBLEMA XX A. 3-4 DEŠIMTMEČIŲ LIETUVOS DAILĖJE IR VISUOMENĖJE: OLGOS DUBENECKIENĖS-KALPOKIENĖS (1891-1967) ATVAIZDŲ ATVEJIS.

Authors :
Burbaitė, Ieva
Source :
Acta Academiae Artium Vilnensis. 2016, Issue 80/81, p145-158. 14p.
Publication Year :
2016

Abstract

Referring to the surviving photographs, artworks, reminiscences by contemporaries, and other written sources, the paper discusses the representation of the naked body in visual arts and its public reception in Lithuania in the 1920s and 1930s. Nude photographs of the Russian-born ballet dancer and painter Olga Dubeneckienė-Kalpokienė (1891-1967) become an impetus to discuss what might have been the reasons for a woman to undress in front of the camera and what meaning this kind of act had. The paper analyses the general attitude towards the naked body made public, referring to the origins of the movement of nude aesthetics and naturism, and the spread of its ideas in interwar Lithuania. The analysis of the history of creation of the artist and ballet dancer's nude photographs and portraits allowed to highlight the fact, which has not been previously emphasized in Lithuanian art history, that painter Petras Kalpokas (1880-1945) used photography as an aid in his works. The author of the paper presents new facts attesting to the close relationship between Dubeneckienė- Kalpokienė and Kalpokas, which began earlier than is asserted in traditional Lithuanian art history. This proof is important not only for the biographies of the above-mentioned artists, but also for that of Vladimiras Dubeneckis (1888-1932), as it may explain several dramatic moments in the famous architect's life. Moreover, Dubeneckienė-Kalpokienė and Kalpokas's wedding date is specified (1935). A sketchbook, which was thought to belong to Dubeneckienė-Kalpokienė, is newly attributed to Kalpokas. Research of the public attitude towards the naked body in the interwar period has revealed that even the priest Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas did not hide his fascination with partially naked portraits. Dubeneckienė- Kalpokienė's allegorical nude photographs received exclusive attention from exhibition visitors and reviewers. Even the nude photographs by foreign artists, displayed in an international photographic exhibition in Kaunas (1938), were acclaimed by some professionals. However, despite the fact that interwar society was becoming more modern, it was not ready to accept fellow-countrymen's nude photographs about which we learned only in the 21st century and which are still 'without a place' in the history of Lithuanian photography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
Lithuanian
ISSN :
13920316
Issue :
80/81
Database :
Academic Search Index
Journal :
Acta Academiae Artium Vilnensis
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
120579283