The exhibition: “Money in Caricatures”
Satirical and humorous drawings - caricatures
(Ital. “ caricatura” derived from “ caricare”- exaggerate
or distort) belong to the graphic art. In caricatures
artists deliberately represent a person, event or phenomenon
in a manner that exposes, distorts or ridicules their
most characteristic features or aspects. The history of
a caricature goes back to the times of the ancient Egypt,
antique Rome and Greece. In Europe a caricature became
a separate genre in the period of the Renaissance and
Reformation. Beside caricatures expressing a daily life,
portraits there appeared caricatures on a political life.
The latter type of caricatures became immensely important
during social revolutions. Being a source for the studies
of history, caricatures may be highly significant and
useful not only to researchers of the culture of history.
Drawings of a caricature nature appeared
in Lithuania in the 16th century as well. Caricatures
in the 19th century were drawn by J. Rustemas, J. Damelis,
A. Remeris, V. Smakauskas. They became very popular with
the publication of satirical and humoristic journals “
Botagas”, “ Yla”, “ Garnys”, “ Liežuvis”, “ Spaktyva”,”
Kultuvė”. A lot of caricatures were placed in periodicals,
their first collections saw daylight. The artists A. Varnas,
P.Kalpokas, T. Kulakauskas, V.K. Jonynas, J. Penčyla,
J. Martinaitis, S. Žukas and were very active in this
genre. Numerous caricatures were published in satirical
and humoristic issues in the emigration. In 1956 the publication
of a satirical journal “ Sluota” was restarted in Lithuania.
Yearly exhibitions of national caricaturists have been
arranged since 1961.
Twenty two artists from different places
of Lithuania demonstrated their caricatures in the exhibition
“ Money in Caricatures”. It exposed over 100 caricatures
and satiric pieces of plastic art, representing mainly
issues on money and public life events related with money.
Money as an integral part of a modern civilisation turned
into an expressive instrument used by artists to reflect
evils of the present society life, to depict comical human
relations and situations related with money. By means
of a metaphor, hyperbole, irony and allegory artists sharply
ridiculed human vices, bitterly exposed important events.
No wonder that the exhibition was organised in the Bank
of Lithuania - a mysterious citadel of money for many
people. On the other hand, the people whose work is directly
linked with money would also appreciate to look at themselves
from aside and to have fun.
The majority of exhibited caricatures belonged
to caricaturists of Vilnius and Kaunas. Traditionally,
these two cities concentrate the most skilful artists.
The works of artists of a younger generation were placed
beside caricatures of experienced caricaturists who demonstrated
their works in a lot of international and national exhibitions
and won recognition. The younger generation artists successfully
joined the genre of a caricature by demonstrating their
specific style and approach.
