Inspired by Muses: Scenography Art by Adomas Galdikas (1893–1969)

A famous Lithuanian artist Adomas Galdikas is well known as a brilliant painter whose works had absorbed different influences of the 20th-century art. This time we present him as a talented scenographer in the most captivating performances.

Sketches of costumes and decorations were accessed in the collections of the M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art thanks to the actor Laimonas Noreika who found several boxes with the artist’s drawings in the attic of Kaunas Musical Theatre. The historical and artistic value of these drawings is beyond doubt. To date, the collection of the Fine Arts Department holds over 142 sketches for various performances.

A. Galdikas started creating scenographies at the State Theatre in Kaunas during the interwar period. His talent in expressionist painting was noticed by another very important cultural figure of that time – a stage manager and pedagogue Andrius Oleka-Žilinskas who was appointed a new leader of the Kaunas State Theatre by the then director Jurgis Savickis. A. Galdikas was one of the first artists to make decorations for a total of 17 performances staged in Kaunas.

In 1929, A. Oleka-Žilinskas, A. Galdikas and the composer Juozas Gruodis made their theatrical debut in “Šarūnas” by V. Krėve-Mickevičius. A profound idea of the hero’s self-sacrifice impressed the authors of the performance. The artist created a mysterious, romantic scenery. While recovering old and distant days, he had refused the ethnographic precision, allowing the forms to become transformed into stylised, condensed units, the scenery – framed by massive, broken columns imitating wood. The costumes of the nobility were made of double material, they were heavy, physically inflexible, presenting a clumsy and slow role. The costumes of Šarūnas’s army, on the contrary, retained graceful forms, were made of thin, light material which allowed to represent a young generation agile and lively. Stylistically, the costumes were rendered under the influence of folk art, remained free from stereotyped clichés.

“Sabbatai Zevi” (The Fallen Messiah) is another famous theatrical work by A. Oleka-Žilinskas and A. Galdikas staged after a pseudo-romantic play by the Polish playwright Jerzy Żuławski about the self-proclaimed messiah Sabbatai Zevi who lived in the 17th century in Smyrna. A. Galdikas created a rather conditional, constructive, extremely theatrical stage design, had studied well the details of oriental costumes, and contributed to the creation of the make-up. The Jewish costumes were made uniform so as to create a vision oof a homogeneous crowd immersed in suffering. The Sultan’s palace distinguished itself through its luxurious oriental-style architecture, minarets and palm silhouettes, the costumes were adorned with precious stones and gold. The artist composed the scenery without a behind-the-scene portal and a back wall, allowing the action take place within the stage space.

A. Galdikas also created spectacular costumes for William Shakespeare’s comedy “Midsummer Night’s Dream” staged by A. Oleka-Žilinskas. The performance was due to appear in the autumn of 1932, but it is not known why this theatrical idea was not realised. The costumes constitute the most beautiful examples of Art Deco style.

Theatre is a synthetic art that combines different art forms: art, music, dance, literature and performing. Being engaged in creative theatrical activities, A. Galdikas deepened his knowledge in various artistic fields. He collaborated with such talented stage managers as A. Oleka-Žilinskas, B. Dauguvietis, K. Glinskis, composers Juozas Gruodis and Jurgis Karnavičius, was interested in different plays and their authors. A. Galdikas’ scenographic works were influenced by folk art, constructivism, expressionism and art deco style which altogether had made his work stylistically varied.

Prepared by Rūta Valiukaitė