Leonardas Andriekus – art conservator and representative of the theology of culture

Leonardas Andriekus (1914–2003) – a poet, art conservator, social and cultural activist, editor, teacher, Franciscan monk and a priest. The goal of this article is to analyze Leonardas Andriekus’ ideas from a position of the theology of culture presenting him as an art conservator. The objectives of the article are the following: 1) to present the theology of art as an interdisciplinary subject; 2) to analyze L. Andriekus’ principles of art fostering. The methodology of the theology of culture was used in the article. The method of the theology of culture enabled to have a look at the individual’s cultural activities closer: not only from the secular perspective, but also from the positions of the Church institutions. The theology of art as an interdisciplinary subject states that a person is not eliminated from the divine creative process. Although a man is not given to create a new material, but he/she can fully transform an already existing one, thus realizing him/herself by using the creative spark given by God. Each such positive creative transformation anticipates the transfiguration. The art fostering by L. Andriekus had a practical character, hoping to preserve the artworks of the Lithuanian emigrants for future generations. He did not have any aims to collect such artworks for selfish motives or hide them from the public. He also did not have an intention to sell such works of art profitably in the future. On the contrary, whenever it was possible, L. Andriekus used to exhibit them in St. Anthony’s High School in Kennebunkport, and then in Adomas Galdikas’ Cultural Center Gallery. L. Andriekus, as a Franciscan monk, tried to encompass not only religious, but also Lithuanian ethnic art. His interaction with various representatives of art, art fostering and editing the cultural magazine "Echoes" ("Aidai") is a reason to believe that L. Andriekus knew the concepts of the theology of culture perfectly. He also used to collect the works of art which, with their substantial creative potency, should have anticipated the preponderance of goodness in the process of transfiguration.