Jurgis Baltrušaitis (son)
Encyclopedia
Jurgis Baltrušaitis was a Lithuania
n art historian, art critic
and a founder of comparative art research. He was the son of the poet and diplomat Jurgis Baltrušaitis
. Most of his works were written in French
, although he always stressed his Lithuanian origin. After Lithuania was occupied by the USSR in 1945, he served as a diplomat in exile.
.
In 1924 he moved to Paris
and began theater studies at the Sorbonne
under the guidance of Professor Henri Focillon
. Under his influence Baltrušaitis chose to study the history of art. He went on to do research in Armenia
, Georgia
, Spain
, Italy
, and Germany
, receiving a doctorate
from the Sorbonne in 1931. Later that year he became the cultural attache at the Lithuanian Legation in Paris.
Between 1933 and 1939 Baltrušaitis taught art history at the University of Kaunas, as well as lecturing at the Sorbonne and at the Warburg Institute
in London
.
After World War II
he delivered lectures at New York University
, Yale University
, Harvard University
, and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
.
His diplomatic efforts included writing for the French press on Lithuanian issues, and representing Lithuania in international organizations such as the Academie Internationale des Sciences et des Lettres and the Lithuanian Legation in Paris.
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n art historian, art critic
Art critic
An art critic is a person who specializes in evaluating art. Their written critiques, or reviews, are published in newspapers, magazines, books and on web sites...
and a founder of comparative art research. He was the son of the poet and diplomat Jurgis Baltrušaitis
Jurgis Baltrušaitis
Jurgis Baltrušaitis was a Lithuanian Symbolist poet and translator, who wrote his works in Lithuanian and Russian. In addition to his important contributions to Lithuanian literature, he was noted as a political activist and diplomat...
. Most of his works were written in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, although he always stressed his Lithuanian origin. After Lithuania was occupied by the USSR in 1945, he served as a diplomat in exile.
Biography
During his childhood he was immersed in the intense cultural life of his parents. One of his first teachers was the Russian poet and writer Boris PasternakBoris Pasternak
Boris Leonidovich Pasternak was a Russian language poet, novelist, and literary translator. In his native Russia, Pasternak's anthology My Sister Life, is one of the most influential collections ever published in the Russian language...
.
In 1924 he moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and began theater studies at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
under the guidance of Professor Henri Focillon
Henri Focillon
Henri Focillon was a French art historian.Director of the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lyon. Professor of Art History at the University of Lyon, at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Lyon, at the Sorbonne, at the Collège de France and then in the United States, where he went into exile and taught at Yale...
. Under his influence Baltrušaitis chose to study the history of art. He went on to do research in Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
, Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, receiving a doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
from the Sorbonne in 1931. Later that year he became the cultural attache at the Lithuanian Legation in Paris.
Between 1933 and 1939 Baltrušaitis taught art history at the University of Kaunas, as well as lecturing at the Sorbonne and at the Warburg Institute
Warburg Institute
The Warburg Institute is a research institution associated with the University of London in central London, England. A member of the School of Advanced Study, its focus is the study of the influence of classical antiquity on all aspects of European civilisation.-History:The Institute was founded by...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he delivered lectures at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
.
His diplomatic efforts included writing for the French press on Lithuanian issues, and representing Lithuania in international organizations such as the Academie Internationale des Sciences et des Lettres and the Lithuanian Legation in Paris.
Publications
- Le Moyen-Âge fantastique. Antiquités et exotismes dans l'art gothique, 1955
- Reveils et Prodiges Le Gothique Fantastique, 1960
- La quête d'Isis
- En Busca de Isis
- Formations, déformations: La stylistique ornementale dans la sculpture romane (Idées et recherches)
- Réveils et prodiges. Les métamorphoses du gothique
- Lithuanian folk art [microform] (Lithuania, country and nation, 3), 1948
- Le miroir: Essai sur une légende scientifique : révélations, science-fiction et fallacies
- Anamorphic art
- Aberrations: Quatre Essais sur La Legende des Formes
- Les perspectives depravees - anamorphoses ou thaumaturgus, 1955