Craft revival in Lithuanian at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries : searching for national identity

Straipsnio objektas – XIX a. pabaigos–XX a. pradžios Lietuvos dailiųjų amatų raida, anuomet išgyvenusi visuotinį pakilimą, pasireiškusį pokyčiais švietimo sistemoje, suaktyvėjusia draugijų veikla, kintančiu visuomenės požiūriu į šią sritį. Procesai Lietuvoje turėjo analogijų su visos Rusijos imperijos amatų judėjimu ir XIX a. viduryje Anglijoje gimusiu ir per visą Europą persiritusia Dailės ir amatų sąjūdžio banga. Todėl, pasitelkus istorinį ir kultūrinį kontekstą, taikant daugiausia faktografinę analizę, siekiama aptarti dailiosios amatininkystės raidą tarptautinio dailiųjų amatų sąjūdžio kontekste, t. y., ne tik kaip vietinių poreikių nulemtą, bet ir Europos reiškinį, paliečiant to meto amatams aktualius stiliaus, mokslo sistemos, draugijų, spaudos ir kitus su tuo susijusius klausimus. Vienas iš svarbių straipsnio uždavinių – atskleisti amatininkams būdingas tautinio tapatumo paieškas. Tačiau sąmoningai vengiama platesnių diskusijų to meto spaudoje tautiškumo tematika ir kai kurių žinomų tautinio sąjūdžio veikėjų bei liaudies meno propaguotojų (pvz., Antano Jaroševičiaus) veiklos išsamaus aptarimo, tokių klausimų, kurie neblogai aptarti sąjūdžio laikotarpį tyrinėjusių autorių.The object of the article is the analysis of the situation concerning craft revival in Lithuania at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries, when the national renaissance of Lithuanians began and coordination of craftsmen activities was started at the institutional level. Building on previously unpublished archival materials and periodicals of the analysed period, the author attempts to restore the picture of craft revival, including craftsmanship politics, education system and public organizations of the national renaissance period. The crafts’ movement in Lithuania was influenced by the European Arts and Crafts Movement on the one hand, and submitted by the pressures of local surroundings on the other. It was especially aimed at solving the social and demographic issues caused by the abolition of serfdom in the 19th century. The relations between folk style and cosmopolitan manifestations were of great importance to the manufacturers of mass-production artefacts. Even though handmade wares were still widely in use, economic and cultural changes of modern time deeply affected the daily life and traditional crafts faced the threat of extinction. During the period, enlightened people realized that crafts and especially folk crafts were of great significance to the Lithuanian people; therefore, it was necessary to attach more importance to this problem in order to protect crafts from extinction. The Lithuanian Art Society and the first Lithuanian art exhibitions played an essential role in the recognition of folk art. Thanks to the first exhibitions, folk art crystallized into a part of artistic being and became a foundation of the entire national culture. The mastering of the national style in crafts was far away from being a smooth process under the conditions of modern life-style. Written sources reveal the fact that a lot of work was done by cultural figures of national renaissance in pursuance of enhancing respect to the folk art. The members of the Lithuanian Art Society considered folk art as a means of national identity construction. The national style’s road to public life and art was a result of efforts of the members of national renaissance