Created: 1922.
Material / technique: bronze, stone.
Dimensions: 10(+3)x9x3 cm.
Signature: PR
Petras Rimša (1881–1961), a sculptor, medal maker and graphic artist, is considered to be a classic of Lithuanian art, in whose richly ornamented statuettes contemporaries looked for an expression of the national tradition of folk art. In fact, these works are associated primarily with the influence of the Beuron Art School, run by the Benedictines in Germany. The foundations for the school were laid in about 1868 by the architect and sculptor Peter Lenz, based on mathematical principles and the aesthetics of Egyptian art, in an attempt to get rid of the naturalism and sensualism that were characteristic of 19th-century art. In 1898, after becoming a Benedictine monk and taking the name Desiderius, he published the work Zur Ästhetik der Beuroner Schule, in which he stated that works of art should be anonymous, and they should be based on standard aesthetic principles, thus securing a stylistic unity between architecture and art, and inducing godliness. The emergence of the Beuron Art School is associated with the spread of Art Nouveau. Rimša was fond of the postures, symmetry and ornamentality that are characteristic of the school. His works were praised by the Benedictine Eugène Roulin, a Church art historian, who promoted Beuronese ideas. In his book about modern Church art, he depicted one of the flat figurines made by Rimša in the 1920s, which is similar to the composition Day and night (E. Roulin, Nos églises, Paris, 1938, p. 735–737), interpreting it as a modern representation of the Virgin Mary. Several busts and full-length versions of Day and night under different titles are held in various collections.
Reference: "More Than Just Beauty" compiled by G. Jankevičiūtė. Vilnius, LAWIN, 2012, P. 62.
The sculptor's work from his mature period, depicting the universal symbolism of life, is rendered in the Art Deco style. This flat sculpture is richly decorated with ornamentation inspired by the Lithuanian folk tradition, particularly the ornamentation found on wooden battledores and distaff heads. There are several versions of this sculptural composition. Vita/Quies (Day/Night) is also known as variant III. A similar version of this sculpture, butwith a bronze base depicting symbolic compositions, is held in the M.K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art. Petras Rimša (1881-1961) reflects on his style in his memoirs: 'My style represents the need of country people to speak in the language of ornamentation, combined with a realistically rendered main picture. Ornamentation in my work is not separate from the whole, from the main subject, from the idea. It's the spiritual language of my characters, pieces of their daily life and soul, which I have felt and experienced in my own way. That constitutes my individuality.'
Reference: “The Art of Materials”, The art collection of the law firm “Ellex Valiunas”. Compiled by Jurgita Ludavičienė, Vilnius, 2024, P. 128-130.
Exhibitions: “More Than Just Beauty: The Image of Woman in the LAWIN collection”, 12 October – 11 November 2012, National Gallery of Art; Vilnius.
Published: "More Than Just Beauty" compiled by G. Jankevičiūtė. Vilnius, LAWIN, 2012, P. 62; “The
Art of Materials”, The art collection of the law firm “Ellex Valiunas”. Compiled
by Jurgita Ludavičienė, Vilnius, 2024, P. 128-130.