A different reconstruction of history 0

Remigijus Venckus
www.kamane.lt, 2016-06-17

In brief: Petras Lincevičius' exhibition-project Land at the Vincas Mykolaitis-Putinas Memorial Museum in Vilnius is not a normal everyday phenomenon. It is worth seeing and reflecting on because of the harmony between paintings and drawings and the environment of the exhibition. In this case, the memorial apartment, in addition to becoming a document of history also becomes a new work of art.

P. Lincevičius' exhibition should be called the reconstruction of the lost memory; the gesture of repetitive quest for one's own origin. Uncluttered compositions, easily recognizable things/objects depicted with sharp strokes using a minimal color palette also suggest the Lithuanian painting tradition of "dimmed color palette." I think that P. Lincevičius' reconstruction of history is successful, because all the artworks look as if they come from that other era, from V. Mykolaitis-Putinas youth, or maybe even the era of his novels.

In this case, I dare state that all this, that artist depicted and linked to the meaning of Land can be referred to as Homeland. Looking at the painted rustic farmhouses, rich and heavy evening clouds, I myself start remembering one of the strongest sensations of the Homeland that I had experienced in my childhood. 

That memory, described above, shows that. P. Lincevičius' works are not simply trying to reconstruct the writer's Homeland/Land, but rather aim at awakening every individual's memory of his origins, i.e. making them reconstruct their own history.

 

I will repeat myself again - it is the gesture of the reconstruction of history, developed by the artist that points to the importance of time for a person, a citizen, to nation's memory and survival. We look for time in the paintings as if in our own memories.  Since the paintings only question the documentary identity of memories, but are not the real memories of V. Mykolaitis-Putinas, we, while traveling through time (i.e. with our thoughts through things and their spaces recognized in the paintings) are not obliged to experience a unique space-time of the past. Art stimulates the experience of change, where everything changes, even us - the viewers.

Petras Lincevičius' exhibition-project Land will run until the 30th of September at the Vincas Mykolaitis-Putinas Memorial Museum (Tauro str. 10-3, Vilnius).


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