The Neris
The Neris
The Neris

The Neris

Author: Mackevičius Vytautas, 1911 - 1991

Created: 1940s.

Material / technique: oil on canvas.

Dimensions: 35x51 cm.

Signature: VMack  (in the bottom-right corner of the painting).

Vytautas Mackevičius (1911–1991) painted this lyrical sketch of Vilnius from the balcony of the Library of the Academy of Sciences. T. Kosciuškos Street and the bend in the River Neris lead to Antakalnis, and they reveal the picturesque relief of the city, the bend in the river, the valley, and the surrounding hills. The swift, sketchy style of the painting, and the grey and brown tones, evoke the atmosphere of the first days of winter. A hatted head popping up into the picture from below is a momentary record of the hustle and bustle of city life, and shows the influence of French Impressionism, which Mackevičius experienced during his student years in Paris in the 1930s.

Reference:  Art album "Vilnius. Topophilia" (Volume I). Compiled by L. Laučkaitė. Vilnius, LAWIN, 2014, I Vol. P. 324.

Exhibitions: “VILNIUS. Topophilia”, 5 October – 26 November, 2017, the National Gallery of Art, Vilnius.

Published: Art album "Vilnius. Topophilia" (Volume I). Compiled by L. Laučkaitė. Vilnius, LAWIN, 2014, I Vol. P. 324; Gudynas Pranas. "Vytautas Mackevičius". Vilnius: Vaga, 1971, No. 33, P. 110.