RUSSIA & AMERICA GOODWILL ASSOCIATION
Russia & America Goodwill Association
  • Home
  • Русский
    • НОВОСТИ
    • СЕРЬЕЗНЫЕ АНАЛИТИЧЕСКИЕ СТАТЬИ
    • КНИГИ
    • РЕСУРСЫ
    • О НАС
    • ПАРТНЕРЫ
    • КОНТАКТЫ
  • News
    • SERIOUS ANALYTICAL ARTICLES
  • FORUM
  • Books
  • Resources
  • About Us
    • Team
    • Partners
  • Contact

CZESLAW ZNAMIEROWSKI – A MULTICULTURAL ARTIST FROM THE USSR

8/29/2014

1 Comment

 
Picture
At a time of great division in the Eastern European community a lesson in multiculturalism, unity and brotherhood can be learned from an unusual person, a Soviet Lithuanian artist Czeslaw Znamierowski (23 May 1890 – 9 August 1977). He was born in Imperial Russia on Latvian territory into a Polish family; at the age of 32 he became a citizen of the Soviet Union and soon after moved permanently to Lithuania, where he lived until his last day.
Picture
Originally published on: 
http://www.shoutoutuk.org/2014/08/27/czeslaw-znamierowski-multicultural-artist-ussr
As a student he was taught by some of the greatest artists of Lithuania and Russia, like Ferdynand Ruszczyc, Arkady Rylov and Nicholas Roerich. As an artist he worked with Georgians, Ukrainians, Polish, Latvians and others on a regular basis, while his paintings weren’t just sold within the Soviet Union but all over the world to countries like Switzerland, United States, Canada, Germany, Sweden and other Western nations.

“For him [Czeslaw Znamierowski] there were no boundaries between nationalities. He readily made friends with the natives of any country…. He was no stranger to Latvians, Lithuanians, Jews, Tatars, Karaites, Russians. He was ready to help everyone if possible.”  - Wikipedia

Although Znamierowski was a believer and advocate for socialism, as many were at that time, he was also a very kind, accepting and happy person who never forced his ideas onto others. That can be seen in his artworks and the manner in which he created them. An overwhelming majority of his paintings is dedicated, not to communism, but to nature while his style and colours are soft, gentle and flowing. When he did paint images of Socialist realism they were always associated with nature, progress and collaboration. Never with war, aggression or conflict, something that Znamierowski knew well, living through, and almost being killed during the October revolution of 1917, and then surviving the horror, as well as the aftermath of WWII.

As difficult as his life was, people who knew Czeslaw always said he was an optimistic, happy-going individual all his life, even in his old age. Outside of art he loved gardening and pigeons. In fact his garden was one of the major attractions of Vilnius city and drew numerous tourists each year. It was that beautiful and unique.
Picture
Czeslaw Znamierowski – Czerwony Sztandar, Nr. 117, 23 Maja , 1970 // Photo: M. Rebiego
Czeslaw Znamierowski greatly contributed to Lithuania and all Baltic states at large. He started the Vilnius Artist’s Society; he donated many of his artworks to public institutions locally and abroad; held many solo exhibitions in Lithuania, Poland, Latvia and Russia, but above all he gave those nations and the world some of his largest panoramic artworks ever created in the Soviet Union. To understand the scale of his artworks one only needs to see Znamierowski’s Panorama of Vilnius City which measures 8 meters (26.3 ft) long and 2.5 meters (8.2 ft) high, or his most known artwork The Green Lakewhich is 2.5 meters (8.2 ft) long and 1.45 meters (4.8 ft) high. That is the type of artist Znamierowski was; he meticulously, perhaps even nonchalantly and with great pleasure, painted his massive masterpieces that took center stage at large public buildings and museums, locally in Lithuania and all across the USSR. That is why in 1965 he was awarded a prestigious title of an “Honourable Artist of L.S.S.R.”

Over his lifetime Znamierowski created about 3000 works of art, many of which were paintings that are in state museums across the globe. A lot of his art is in private collections as well as art funds, and, as it happens with many artists from the past, some of Znamierowski’s artworks are simply lost. His largest painting Panorama of Vilnius City has disappeared without a trace after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Hopefully it will be found one day. Fortunately his second largest artwork The Green Lake has been located, restored and preserved by the Tamoikin Art Fund, which is now graciously displaying it for the world to see. This fund has started a non-profit art project to locate, research and present to the world Czeslaw Znamierowski’s artworks, historic records and other significant information about him. A great deal has already been uncovered but even more is still ahead. To contribute or learn about this project visit: www.CzeslawZnamierowski.com

By Gabriel Ornstein (M.F.A.)
Art researcher and historian
Liechtenstein | Israel


Sources:
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czeslaw_Znamierowski
  • http://www.czeslawznamierowski.com/research/eslovas-znamerovskis-chronicles-of-literature-and-art-vilnius-1961-book
  • http://www.czeslawznamierowski.com/research/landscape-in-lithuanian-paintings-by-augustinas-savickas-vilnius-1965-book
  • http://www.czeslawznamierowski.com/research/czeslaw-znamierowski-a-visual-artist-from-vilnius-znad-wilii-nr-14-5-18-july-1992
  • http://www.czeslawznamierowski.com/research/the-oldest-artist-in-vilnius-75th-birthday-anniversary-of-czeslaw-znamierowski-red-bannernr-119-may-23-1965
  • http://www.czeslawznamierowski.com/research/an-art-exhibition-of-georgian-artists-in-vilnius-red-bannernr-136-1956
  • http://www.czeslawznamierowski.com/research/charm-of-flowers-beauty-of-landscapes-red-banner-nr-197-22-august-1976
  • http://www.czeslawznamierowski.com/research/crimson-nights-greeinish-mists-red-banner-nr-117-may-23-1970
  • http://www.czeslawznamierowski.com/research/singer-of-vilnius-landscape-daily-evening-news-no-121-vilnius-25-may-1965
  • http://www.czeslawznamierowski.com/research/eslovas-znamierovskis-1890-v-23-1977-viii-9-art-21-1979
  • http://www.czeslawznamierowski.com/research/the-works-and-the-thoughts-daily-the-truth-no-207-vilnius-06-september-1970
  • http://www.czeslawznamierowski.com/research/flowers-in-creative-work-and-at-heart-daily-evening-news-no-118-23-may-1970
  • http://www.czeslawznamierowski.com/research/a-modest-man-departed-this-life-literature-and-art-no-34-august-20-1977
  • http://www.czeslawznamierowski.com/research/report-on-40-year-of-s-creative-work-literature-and-art-no-48-december-1st-1962

Disclaimer: All statements in this report are an opinion. Act at your own risk. 
Report by RAGA News
1 Comment
V. Krasnov
8/30/2014 12:26:49 am

We welcome all genuine art regardless of the artist's political orientation. Considerable cross-cultural cohesiveness was created under the aegis of the Russian Empire. During Soviet era, it was continued in various forms and shapes, and Cheslaw Znamierowski's art is a good example. If Cheslaw was "almost being killed during the October revolution of 1917", one of his relatives, Col. Znamierowski, was not so lucky. He was summarily executed in August 1918 in Perm where he had been exiled together with Tsar Nicholas' brother Mikhail Aleksandrovich Romanov (whom some historians call Emperor Michael II) who was executed on June 12, 1918 along with his secretary Johnson. Col. Znamierowski was among dozens of hostages executed for Mikhail's alleged "escape". Having lived through the hard times, all peoples of the former USSR have learned to deeper understand the meaning of life. Read Donald Crawford's "Last Tsar: Emperor Michael II.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    RAGA РАГА

    RAGANEWS

    Strengthening ties between Russia
    and America

    Picture
    Picture
    Follow us on Twitter

    Subscribe to RAGA Antiwar Newsletter

    * indicates required

    RAGA's BOOKS
    Picture
    ORDER on AMAZON
    Picture
    ORDER on LABIRINT
    Picture
    ORDER on RAGA
    Picture
    ORDER on RAGA

    Categories

    All
    Analytical Articles
    Anna Tolstoyevskaya
    Art
    Belarus
    Business
    Charles Bausman
    Chip Hodgkins
    Crimea
    Culture
    Dmitry Tamoikin
    Dr. Leo Semashko
    Dr. S. Sniegoski
    Economy
    Edward Lozansky
    EU
    G. Doctorow Ph.D.
    Great Britain
    G. Tarpley Ph.D.
    History
    J. J. Mearsheimer
    Kevin Barrett
    Martin Sieff
    Mass Media
    Michael Brenner
    NATO
    Newsletter
    Patrick Armstrong
    Press Release
    Prof. James Petras
    Putin
    RAGA
    Ramsey Clark
    Raymond Zwarich
    Religion
    Robert Parry
    Ron Unz
    Russia
    Russia Insider
    Security
    Shout Out UK
    Solzhenitsyn
    Stephen Cohen
    Trump
    Ukraine
    US
    USSR
    Videos
    V. Krasnov Ph.D

    Archives

    March 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    April 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    May 2008
    June 2001
    March 1999
    December 1998

    RSS Feed

Picture
Founder:
Vladislav Krasnov
(aka: W. George Krasnow)
RAGA РАГА
© RAGA.org
2003-2020
All Rights Reserved