Folk art master and god carver Simonas Saročka

During a folk art expedition that took place in 1973, the Lithuanian Art Museum acquired a wooden folk architecture chapel post from Matas Saročka, a resident of the Plačiuva village (Viduklės area, Raseiniai district) with the Sorrowful Mother of God inside, holding the body of Jesus on her knees. Kneeling angel figurines are positioned either side of her. This chapel post with the sculptural composition was carved by the father of Matas Saročka, Simonas Saročka (1860–1952). The discovery of the Plačiuva pieta is the only known work that can be attributed to god carver S. Saročka. Its artistic form and individual folk realist style helped researchers to find more pieces carved by this folk sculptor whose creators had hitherto been unknown or had been incorrectly attributed to other authors. Based on the characteristic style of the folk artist and god carver S. Saročka, and his particular attention to the pieta composition, the author of this publication presents other items of his workmanship that have been discovered in other Lithuanian museums, churches and private collections. The chapel posts and carved sculptures of folk artist S. Saročka are a valuable part of folk art heritage from the Raseiniai district from the first half of the 20th century. In order to become better acquainted with the artistic creations of this interesting god carver and find more of his works, the old sculpture collections of our national museums should be reviewed. The potential discovery of more of his works would contribute significantly to enriching our general understanding of folk master and god carver S. Saročka‘s artistic creations, clearly showing the author‘s consistent attention to the pieta image, and his uniquely sensitive approach to this narrative. Up until now, there is basically no information about the folk art master and god carver S. Saročka in written sources. However, work is already underway to bring this undeservedly overlooked folk artist to the public‘s attention. A staff member from the Rare Manuscripts Department in the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences Wroblewski Library, Aida Grybienė, has compiled and prepared for publishing the memoirs of S. Saročka‘s grand-daughter, Stanislava Saročkaitė-Pranckienė (b. 1933). They are published in this article.