20th June at 2 p.m. Birutė Kabašinskienė, doctoral student of Art History and Theory, will defend her dissertation „The Iconography of St. Francis and St. Dominic in Franciscan and Dominican Art in Vilnius in the 16th-mid 19th Century: Expression of Features of Saints and Theological Ideas“ (Art History and Theory H 003) at Vilnius Academy of Arts, 102 auditorium (Malūnų str. 3, Vilnius).
The dissertation defence meeting will be held in Lithuanian.
The institution where the dissertation was prepared: Vilnius Academy of Arts.
Doctoral supervisor:
Dr. Tojana Račiūnaitė (Vilnius Academy of Arts, Humanities, Art History and Theory H 003)
The dissertation will be defended in front of the Joint Academic Board of Art History and Theory of Vilnius Academy of Arts, Lithuanian Culture Research Institute and Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre:
Chairperson:
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sigita Maslauskaitė-Mažylienė (Vilnius Academy of Arts, Humanities, Art History and Theory H 003)
Members:
Dr. (hp) Rūta Janonienė (Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, Humanities, Art History and Theory H 003)
Dr. Kristina Mitalaitė (National Centre for Scientific Research; socia adiuncta de la Commissio Leonina (France), Humanities, Theology H 002)
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aušra Vasiliauskienė (Vytautas Magnus University, Humanities, Art History and Theory H 003)
Dr. Dalia Vasiliūnienė (Lithuanian Culture Research Institute, Humanities, Art History and Theory H 003)
Abstract
The aim of the dissertation is to discuss how the features of saints and theological ideas that present sanctity are expressed in the iconography of St. Francis of Assisi (1181/1182–1226) and St. Dominic (1171/1173–1221) according to the examples of the 16th – mid 19th century artworks from Vilnius Franciscan and Dominican convents and churches. During the research, visual and textual material about these images was collected. The tendencies of presentation of both saints (significant in Vilnius) were discussed through the analysis of the genesis of their iconography: its formation in the 13th century and the emergence of the tradition of juxtaposition of St. Francis and St. Dominic. In the context of Franciscan and Dominican convents and churches in Vilnius, the influence of historical circumstances on the spread and change of the iconography of both saints was presented. Finally, the diversity of surviving images (or the ones captured in photographs and engravings; in total 65 out of 108 mentioned in the sources) was analysed on the basis of the hagiographic texts and earlier iconographic examples that influenced local Franciscan and Dominican art.
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St. Francis and St. Dominic. A fragment of the fresco “Apotheosis of the Holy Spirit” on the dome of Vilnius Church of the Holy Spirit. Photographe Kęstutis Stoškus, Church Heritage Museum digital archive.
