Vytautas Kazimieras Jonynas
Encyclopedia
Vytautas Kazimieras Jonynas (March 10, 1907 in Ūdrija
, near Alytus
– December 4, 1997 in Vilnius
) was one of most renowned 20th century Lithuania
n artists. He worked as a book illustrator, graphic, painter
, sculptor, stained glass artist, posters and furniture designer.
, Jonynas started art studies at the Kaunas Art School. Jonynas attended Adomas Varnas
(painting) and Adomas Galdikas
(graphics) studios. In 1931 he moved to Paris
, where he earned a degree in xylography and book illustrating. Later he studied wood sculpture and cabinetmaker crafts in Ècole Boulle. In 1935 he held his first personal exhibition. After completing his studies in France Jonynas returned to Lithuania. His illustration for Kristijonas Donelaitis
Metai
became classics of the genre. At the time he was teaching at Kaunas Art School. In 1937 he was elected as a member of the International Sculpture Commission. The same year Jonynas was awarded Golden medal in the international exhibition in Paris
for his woodcarvings and posters. In 1938 he was awarded a Cross of Order of the French Legion of Honour
. From 1936 until 1941 Jonynas worked as preservation specialist in Lithuanian inspection of cultural heritage, later became chief of the organization.
In 1944 Jonynas retreated to Germany
, where he lived until 1950. He then moved to the United States
. He was active in Lithuanian cultural life in exile. With assistance from Schmittlein, Jonynas founded an art school in Freiburg im Breisgau (École des Arts et Métiers) and supervised it. In Germany Jonynas started illustrating bibliographic books again. One of his last works in xylography was illustrations for Raymond Schmittlein's study on Prosper Mérimée
Lokis created in 1949. He also created illustrations for Shakespeare's Hamlet
, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
's die Leiden des Jungen Werthers, (published by Karl Alber; the illustrations were bought by the Goethe-Schiller Institute) and Le Siège de Mayence. Le Siège was the first book that Jonynas illustrated using aquarelle and not xylography.
In the United States Jonynas continued to illustrate books, although he changed his technique. During 1955–1979 Jonynas designed interiors for over 60 churches in the United States, Europe, and Australia. He also created a new technique joining stained glass, fresco and bass-relief when he was commissioned to create a mural
at Rikers Island
, New York
. In 1955 he founded and art studio Jonynas and Shepherd Art studio, Inc. in New York. Jonynas also designed Chapel of Lithuanian Martyrs in St. Peter's Basilica
and decorated Vatican city
pavilion for the 1964 New York World's Fair
. Jonynas taught at the Catan-Rose Institute of Fine Arts (1951–1957) and Fordham University
(1957–1973).
Jonynas is also known for his designs of postal stamps for interwar Lithuania. He also designed over 50 stamps for the French Occupation zone
in Germany
(described as among the most artistic German stamps), France
, and Vatican (1959). The Vatican stamp commemorated the 500th birthday anniversary of Lithuanian patron Saint Casimir
. Jonynas was also asked to create a postal stamp for the United Nations
to commemorate Universal Declaration of Human Rights
, but the stamp was not printed due political reasons.
. Jonynas donated all of his creative works to Lithuania. He was buried in Antakalnis Cemetery
, Vilnius.
Ūdrija
Ūdrija is a village in Alytus district municipality, in Alytus County, in south Lithuania. According to the 2001 census, the village has a population of 453 people....
, near Alytus
Alytus
Alytus is a city with municipal rights in southern Lithuania. It is the capital of Alytus County. Its population in 2007 was 68,835. Alytus is the historical centre of the Dzūkija region. The city lies on the banks of the Nemunas River. The major highways linking Vilnius, Kaunas, Lazdijai, and...
– December 4, 1997 in Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
) was one of most renowned 20th century Lithuania
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 artists. He worked as a book illustrator, graphic, painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, sculptor, stained glass artist, posters and furniture designer.
Biography
After studying in Kalvarija and graduating from a gymnasium in KaunasKaunas
Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
, Jonynas started art studies at the Kaunas Art School. Jonynas attended Adomas Varnas
Adomas Varnas
Adomas Varnas was a prominent Lithuanian painter, photographer, collector, philanthropist, and educator....
(painting) and Adomas Galdikas
Adomas Galdikas
Adomas Galdikas was a Lithuanian painter, graphic artist, scenographer.- Biography :...
(graphics) studios. In 1931 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...
, where he earned a degree in xylography and book illustrating. Later he studied wood sculpture and cabinetmaker crafts in Ècole Boulle. In 1935 he held his first personal exhibition. After completing his studies in France Jonynas returned to Lithuania. His illustration for Kristijonas Donelaitis
Kristijonas Donelaitis
Kristijonas Donelaitis was a Prussian Lithuanian Lutheran pastor and poet. He lived and worked in Lithuania Minor, a territory in the Kingdom of Prussia, that had a sizable minority of ethnic Lithuanians...
Metai
The Seasons (poem)
The Seasons ' is the first Lithuanian poem written by Kristijonas Donelaitis around 1765–1775. It was published as "Das Jahr" in Königsberg, 1818 by Ludwig Rhesa, who also entitled the poem and selected the arrangement of the parts. The German translation was included in the first edition of the...
became classics of the genre. At the time he was teaching at Kaunas Art School. In 1937 he was elected as a member of the International Sculpture Commission. The same year Jonynas was awarded Golden medal in the international exhibition in Paris
Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne (1937)
The Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne was held from May 25 to November 25, 1937 in Paris, France...
for his woodcarvings and posters. In 1938 he was awarded a Cross of Order of the French Legion of Honour
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
. From 1936 until 1941 Jonynas worked as preservation specialist in Lithuanian inspection of cultural heritage, later became chief of the organization.
In 1944 Jonynas retreated to 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...
, where he lived until 1950. He then moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was active in Lithuanian cultural life in exile. With assistance from Schmittlein, Jonynas founded an art school in Freiburg im Breisgau (École des Arts et Métiers) and supervised it. In Germany Jonynas started illustrating bibliographic books again. One of his last works in xylography was illustrations for Raymond Schmittlein's study on Prosper Mérimée
Prosper Mérimée
Prosper Mérimée was a French dramatist, historian, archaeologist, and short story writer. He is perhaps best known for his novella Carmen, which became the basis of Bizet's opera Carmen.-Life:...
Lokis created in 1949. He also created illustrations for Shakespeare's Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long...
's die Leiden des Jungen Werthers, (published by Karl Alber; the illustrations were bought by the Goethe-Schiller Institute) and Le Siège de Mayence. Le Siège was the first book that Jonynas illustrated using aquarelle and not xylography.
In the United States Jonynas continued to illustrate books, although he changed his technique. During 1955–1979 Jonynas designed interiors for over 60 churches in the United States, Europe, and Australia. He also created a new technique joining stained glass, fresco and bass-relief when he was commissioned to create a mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
at Rikers Island
Rikers Island
Rikers Island is New York City's main jail complex, as well as the name of the island on which it sits, in the East River between Queens and the mainland Bronx, adjacent to the runways of LaGuardia Airport. The island itself is part of the borough of the Bronx, though it is included as part of...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. In 1955 he founded and art studio Jonynas and Shepherd Art studio, Inc. in New York. Jonynas also designed Chapel of Lithuanian Martyrs in St. Peter's Basilica
St. Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter , officially known in Italian as ' and commonly known as Saint Peter's Basilica, is a Late Renaissance church located within the Vatican City. Saint Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world...
and decorated Vatican city
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
pavilion for the 1964 New York World's Fair
1964 New York World's Fair
The 1964/1965 New York World's Fair was the third major world's fair to be held in New York City. Hailing itself as a "universal and international" exposition, the fair's theme was "Peace Through Understanding," dedicated to "Man's Achievement on a Shrinking Globe in an Expanding Universe";...
. Jonynas taught at the Catan-Rose Institute of Fine Arts (1951–1957) and Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
(1957–1973).
Jonynas is also known for his designs of postal stamps for interwar Lithuania. He also designed over 50 stamps for the French Occupation zone
Allied Occupation Zones in Germany
The Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country west of the Oder-Neisse line into four occupation zones for administrative purposes during 1945–49. In the closing weeks of fighting in Europe, US forces had pushed beyond the previously agreed boundaries for the...
in 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...
(described as among the most artistic German stamps), France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and Vatican (1959). The Vatican stamp commemorated the 500th birthday anniversary of Lithuanian patron Saint Casimir
Saint Casimir
Saint Casimir Jagiellon was a royal prince of the Kingdom of Poland and of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania who became a patron saint of Lithuania, Poland, and the young.-Biography:...
. Jonynas was also asked to create a postal stamp for the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
to commemorate Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly . The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled...
, but the stamp was not printed due political reasons.
Works
Vytautas Kazimieras Jonynas left a large number of graphics, stained glass works, sculptures, book illustrations. Jonynas brought back to Lithuanian most of his works. The largest collection of his works is preserved at his name art gallery-home in DruskininkaiDruskininkai
Druskininkai is a spa town on the Neman River in southern Lithuania, close to the borders of Belarus and Poland. The city of Druskininkai has a population of 18,233 and dates back as a spa resort to the 19th century.-Names:...
. Jonynas donated all of his creative works to Lithuania. He was buried in Antakalnis Cemetery
Antakalnis Cemetery
Antakalnis Cemetery , sometimes referred as Antakalnis Military Cemetery, is the cemetery in the Antakalnis district of Vilnius in Lithuania. It was established in 1809....
, Vilnius.
Awards
- Cross of Order of the French Legion of HonourLégion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
, Officers rank (1938) - Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts awarded him honorary doctor title
- Honorary citizen of DruskininkaiDruskininkaiDruskininkai is a spa town on the Neman River in southern Lithuania, close to the borders of Belarus and Poland. The city of Druskininkai has a population of 18,233 and dates back as a spa resort to the 19th century.-Names:...
- Commander's Cross of the Order of Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas (1993)