Summary

Gintaras Kušlys

RESTORATION OF LITHUANIAN WALL PAINTINGS: INTERSECTION OF TRADITIONAL AND MODERN HERITAGE PROTECTION

Object of investigation – restoration and historical and institutional development of Lithuanian wall paintings, created by al fresco, al secco, using glue and oil techniques, from the twentieth century until the beginning of the twenty-first century (until 2006).

Problem

Development of restoration of wall paintings in Lithuania is both complex and complicated. It is related to defects of scientific research and value records, absence of national strategy concerning mural paintings heritage preservation, lack of sponsorship, legal difficulties, institutional reformations, differences in the concept of heritage preservation, absence of unified professional restoration assessment criteria or differences between restoration theory and practice.

A fact that a national organizational system of cultural monuments’ investigation, planning and implementation of the monument protection works, having been existed until 1990, was destroyed without regarding the experience of European countries is an especially relevant problem.

Research of the dissertation is conducted using the appropriate criteria of objects’ (and their preservation and restoration works) selection. Also a question is raised, if a ridge between the traditional and modern approach to contemporary monument protection, especially in the field of restoration of wall paintings, still exists. Therefore the most significant, the most interesting, typical and the most controversial (begging the question) examples are analyzed in this work, this way seeking to highlight the drawbacks of wall paintings’ restoration in Lithuania, to give the proper examples and to suggest the ways of solving the problems.

Chronological research boundaries

A particular order is followed in the analysis of restoration of wall paintings in Lithuania: a period of time chosen for research is from the first decades of the XX century until the beginning of the XXI century. Time intervals that are most important for the discussion about conventionalism and modernity in heritage protection are named and emphasized and main periods highlighted.

Purpose and aims of the research

Purpose of the research is to analyse and evaluate the most significant and characteristic examples of restoration of wall paintings in Lithuania in the aspect of heritage protection: emphasizing the main stages of restoration evolution, revealing important institutional changes, marking parallels with analogical international processes and also giving scientific recommendations for further development.

Substantiation of the topic

Architectural monuments giving thorough knowledge about the historical development of Lithuanian wall paintings, especially about the oldest times, are not abundant. However, we still discover frescoes or their fragments in local churches, monasteries, palaces of noblemen, castles, also in residential and public buildings. For example, during the repair of former Tytuvėnai monastery in 1964, old murals appeared under seven layers of paint and plaster. Nothing was known about these murals before. Later traces of polychromes were detected in the Church of Zapyškiai...

By the way, a well-known Polish professor M. Slonecki was working in Vilnius University during the preparations for the 350 anniversaries of the university in 1928–1929. The first wall painting restoration-conservation works performed in Lithuania of contemporary territory may be related to his name. In 1928–1930 M. Slonecki was working in the church of St. Teresa.

Some more data

In 1970s it was already widely accepted that the objects of Lithuanian wall-painting heritage are to be preserved as characteristic expressions of different historical events or civilization development, polychromes of Vilnius University, mural or arc paintings of Pažaislis Camaldolese monastery, Churches of Vilnius St. John and St. Teresa, 6/8 and 8 residential buildings in Stiklių st. (former Antokolskio st.) were restored. Some time later interior and exterior pieces of art (made in al fresco, al secco and other techniques) of Chapel of St. Kazimieras of Vilnius cathedral, Churches of St. Francis and St. Bernard have been conserved-restored. Application of new methods and technologies in the process of working with the heritage of murals supposed a change in attitude towards restoration itself. New conceptions gradually became dominant in the practice of research, conservation and restoration: priority to conservation (without reference to scope of the work), demand for authenticity or reciprocity principle (avoidance of using hardly removable materials). These significant changes also encouraged a spread of international discourse. For example, statements made in 1964 by International Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites (Venice) were brought forward, especially its provisions that the aim of restoration is to preserve and reveal the aesthetic and historic value of the monument and is based on respect for original material and authentic documents (ARTICLE 9).

In the late 1980s, changes in political and social regime, as well as the shake-up of monument preservation and cultural field largely affected the development of the restoration of wall painting in Lithuania.

After gaining independence, political system and situation of cultural heritage preservation and sponsorship changed. New object preservation strategies were created and applied, formerly existing national restoration organizations withered and new private companies appeared. In the field of the restoration of wall paintings in Lithuania considerable losses were not avoided – most restorers left the Pažaislis Camaldolese monastery, at the bare mention. However, country’s wall-painting preservation regained its position, as the latest works in above-mentioned Pažaislis monastery illustrates it.

P.S.

Analysis of Lithuanian wall-painting heritage restoration works lets us see the situation of object preservation from at least two perspectives. Firstly, it lets evaluate the development of analysed works and highlight particular features of domestic wall-painting restoration. Secondly, it gives an opportunity to consider European experiences and to model the position of our restoration in the system of international protection of cultural heritage.