XIX a. Lietuvos dvariškių menai ir pramogos
Arts and entertainment of Lithuanian aristocracy in the 19th century

Summary/Abstract: Lithuanian manor culture has been extensively studied by both historians and art researchers. Rich art collections housed at manors have been widely discussed; the day-to-day life of the gentry has been addressed less frequently. However, routine activities, entertainment and hobbies of people residing at manors - an area constituting a somewhat ulterior part of culture that has never risen to the professional level - has never been a focus of research of Lithuanian scholars. This article is an attempt to fill in this gap. Drawing upon the reminiscences and diaries of Joseph Frank, Stanisław Morawski, Gabriela Puzynina, Edward Jan Römer and others as well as scanty archival material, the article does not merely discuss habitual leisure-time activities; rather, it concentrates on those forms of self-expression that involve active participation of creative force.The author singles out different forms of expression of creative thought and imagination in Vilnius and periphery. It is shown that in urban societies collective artistic activities, such as staging of amateur performances and playing theatrical and operatic roles, participation in amateur concerts, occasional gatherings, and live performances, were more popular. Similar collective forms of expression existed in periphery, but here people, being free from the routine of urban pleasures, could spend more time on individual activities - accurate needlework, painting, drawing, environment design, literary experiments, and music composition. Special attention is given to amateur artworks of the gentry - a theme, which has never been discussed by Lithuanian art historians.

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