On 7 November 2011, 11.30 a.m. the plein air painting exhibition Kristijonas Donelaitis 300th Birth Anniversary Approaching will open at the Exhibition Gallery in Building III of the Seimas. Mr Algis Čaplikas, Deputy Speaker of the Seimas, will present the event, which will also be attended by Mr Romanas Senapėdis, Cultural Attaché of Lithuania in Kaliningrad, as well as the participants of the plein air painting project from Lithuania and Russia.
Since 2014 marks the 300th birth anniversary of the most famous Lithuanian writer Kristijonas Donelaitis and the commemoration of this remarkable occasion offers a favourable opportunity for strengthening cultural co-operation in our region, fostering the cultural heritage of the Lithuanian language and literature, propagating the literary legacy of Kristijonas Donelaitis worldwide, mobilizing the cultural community both within Lithuania and abroad, and attesting to the prominence of Kristijonas Donelaitis literary work, the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania decided to officially declare 2014 the year of Kristijonas Donelaitis. The events dedicated to this significant date have already been launched.
On 15-26 August 2011, Tolminkiemis (currently Chistye Prudy, Kaliningrad Region, Russia) hosted the international plein air painting event Kristijonas Donelaitis 300th Birth Anniversary Approaching, attended by eight professional artists from Klaipėda and Kaliningrad. Klaipėda was represented by Mr Arūnas Mėčius, Ms Dalia Skridailaitė, Mr Algis Vadokliai, Mr Virginijus Viningas, and Mr Simas Žaltauskas, while the group from Kaliningrad included Mr Sargis Gogorian, Mr Vladimir Kornilov, and Mr Andrei Mashichin.
During the ten-day plein air painting camp, the artists created around 50 paintings depicting the landscapes of Tolminkiemis, part of which would be exhibited at the Seimas. According to Project Curator Ms Violeta Jusionienė, the project attracted many talented artists. Therefore, seeing their works presented in the same exhibition space is a real delight for every art lover.
Arūnas Mėčius. 2011.
The exhibition has been arranged by the Lithuanian Artists Union, and sponsored by Lithuanias Cultural Support Foundation and Klaipėda City Municipality. Partners: Kaliningrad Regional Arts and History Museum including the exposition in Tolminkiemis, Kristijonas Donelaitis Memorial Museum, and Consulate General of Lithuania in Kaliningrad.
Dalia Bielskytė
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