Vilnius Picture Gallery of the LNMA traces five hundred years of artistic attempts to capture senses and sensations
Exhibition opening on Thursday, 5 December, at 5.30 pm
Vilnius Picture Gallery of the LNMA opens an exhibition Senses and Sensations. The exhibition dedicated to the expression of sensations and emotions features fine and applied pieces of art from the 16th through the early 20th centuries alongside with the Early Modern period work in philosophy and natural sciences – the research into passions of the soul and sensations of the body that became a source of inspiration to the thinkers and artists. The exhibition will run until 4 May 2025.
“One of the key objectives that the team of Vilnius Picture Gallery pursues is to bring the ancient art closer to contemporary viewer and to ascertain that there is no such immense difference, if any, between the themes that excited the artists of the past and the salient subjects of our times. With the increasing intense discussions on mental health, the “endorsement” of emotions and their “functions”, we turn, in our everyday life that still clings to rationality, to these ancient canvases where a merry-from-wine Italian is grinning at us, two lovers share a clandestine kiss, and a desperate girl sheds tears, wriggling her hands. Not only the theme, but the artist’s ability of engaging renditions of the protagonist’s emotional state, the skill to capture a fleeting expression, a moan, will stop a passing-by visitor to contemplate these paintings. Achieving the desired effect was nothing but simple, therefore the exhibition not only presents “emotional” canvases, but also enlightens on the ways and methods the artists relied on to create them. Finally, the artists will unveil the “secret” we all intuit that human beings are not and never were such highly rational beings as they pretend to be,” director of the Vilnius Picture Gallery of the LNMA, Dr Aistė Bimbirytė says.
A challenging task for the artists
According to the event’s curators, Gabija Kasparavičiūtė-Kaminskienė and Joana Vitkutė, human emotions, and the five senses that strengthen them – sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch, – long attracted the attention of thinkers and the artists who were careful observers of the world. However, rendering the rich, complex and baffling palette of human emotions was nothing but easy.
“The skills in perspective, the command of light and shadow, and colour led to the creation of compelling material shapes, however, however, the translation of sensations – the psychological states of the protagonists – onto canvas required more effort and sensitivity. It was further complicated by the fact that for a long time, free expression of emotion in art was unwelcome. For instance, in portraits of the nobility, highly profitable commissions for the artists, emotional expressions were considered improper, damaging the air of dignity, and the perception of the likeness as a monument to the sitter. On the other hand, mythological and religious scenes could abound in emotion and passion, it was also tolerated in portraits of lower layers, less concerned with moral and social norms. Increasingly modern ways of life and the growing interest in human psychology, the development of psychoanalysis allowed for more display in emotionality in works of art, and the artists were praised for their ability to convey a lifelike mood of their protagonists,” the show’s curators put the things into context.
The influence of Aristotle
The organizers of the exhibition note that contemporary researchers into sensorics have identified far more than five of the senses, in fact, from 22 to 33. Yet those five described in 350 B.C. by the Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle in his treatise On the Soul – sight, sound, smell, taste and touch – remain the foundational ways of knowing the surrounding world, firmly rooted in our self-perception, and a source of inspiration for centuries to artists in different fields.
“The first fragmentary works depicting the five senses date back to the early Middle Ages. There the senses were mostly associated with human sins. In the 16th century, pictorial visualization of the senses emerged as an independent theme developed in allegorical figure compositions with respective attributes and symbols. Very often these were prints in series. Starting with the 17th century, the senses and their symbolical meanings were not only “cloaked” by a veil of allegory, but also rendered as realistic everyday scenes with a generous pinch of humour, set in boisterous inns, on the streets, market places with their rich aromas, and in lavish palaces. The theme of the five senses remained popular through the 18th – 19th centuries,” exhibition’s curator Joana Vitkutė explains.
When mapping the development of emotionality in art, the curators detail also the contemporary situation with the matters of sensations and feelings. Noted is the importance of recognizing and accepting all of one’s feelings, (as modern psychology recommends), on the other hand, constant monitoring of one’s mental health, and when needed, prompt seeking for help. Actually, art can help individuals to figure out their feelings and the needs of their soul under the stress of hectic contemporary life.
The exhibition is accompanied by open lectures, concerts, curator and guide tours of the exhibition and a programme of educational events.
Exhibition organized by Vilnius Picture Gallery of LNMA
Curators: Gabija Kasparavičiutė-Kaminskienė, Joana Vitkutė
Architect Sigita Simona Paplauskaitė
Designer Julija Lečaitė
Translator Dr Raminta Bumbulytė
Partners:
Lithuanian National Museum, M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum, Kaunas City Museum, Latvian National Museum of Art, Estonian Art Museum (KUMU), Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum, Kretinga Museum, Samogitian Museum “Alka”, Šiauliai “Aušros” Museum, Lithuanian State Historical Archives, Vilnius University Library, Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, University of Tartu Library, Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences Library in Kraków, Dr Jaunius Gumbis, Dr Kristina Sabaliauskaitė, Rūta and Rimvydas Baranauskas, Jonas Žilinskas
Information partners: LRT, JCDecaux Lietuva
- Click here to buy an e-ticket for the exhibition
- Plan your visit
- Book a tour in English: +370 681 90329, gidai.vpg@lndm.lt
4 Didžioji st, Vilnius, Lithuania
+370 5 261 1685
vpg@lndm.lt
