Dailė žemės ūkio parodose XIX a. pabaigoje - XX a. I pusėje
Art in agricultural exhibitions in the late 19th century and the 1st half of the 20th century

Summary/Abstract: The year 1875 saw the first agricultural exhibition in Lithuania. The initial idea was to organize it as the site for the presentation of agricultural produce and the cattle. In subsequent years, however, they started to include quite a number of new fields related to everyday life of the rural population. As early as the first exhibitions held in the 19th century, they displayed the works of folk-masters and craftsmen. Professional artists also made use of the popularity enjoyed by the agricultural exhibitions and started exhibiting their works as well.In interwar Lithuania, agricultural and industrial exhibitions were started from 1921 in Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai, and the itinerant expositions reached even remote districts. The most distinguished among them were exhibitions in Kaunas, devoted to the jubilees of the country and the prominent historical personalities: the 7th exhibition was devoted to the 10th anniversary of independence (1928) and the 9th to the 500th death anniversary of Vytautas the Great. During both of them quite a number of exhibitions featured the works by professional artists. Folk masters and craftsmen, students of the Kaunas School of Art and those of crafts schools as well as students-craftsmen of the Chamber of Agriculture, masters of the "Marginiai" company demonstrated their articles at exhibition pavilions.Agricultural exhibitions gave a possibility to artists to design pavilions, exposition and advertising stands, to participate in the competitions for posters and diplomas. The countries enjoying a more differentiated exhibition life did not feature professional art at agricultural exhibitions. However, in Lithuania they stimulated the scene of art, performed an important educational function and brought society closer to art.

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