The Book of Genesis by Franciszek Smuglewicz as a Groundbreaking Autodocument

• In Event: Images as Markers of Identity and History

Abstract

In the Lithuanian-Polish Commonwealth, the last decades of the 18th century were a turbulent time of crisis, full of major political, social, and cultural reforms. The painter Franciszek Smuglewicz was a particularly significant cultural figure of this period, who returned to his homeland in 1784, having spent twenty years in Rome, the centre of European culture of the time. Over the next five years, Smuglewicz’s activity not only consisted of participating in major artistic projects, but also of producing some of his own highly visionary work.
One of the most exceptional pieces is a still vaguely known series of large-format prints devoted to the stories of characters of the Book of Genesis. This project, which had been prepared for a full press run, yet remains largely unknown and under-researched to this day. However, its sketches show a novel theological and historical vision of the Old Testament, based on Enlightenment ideas and historical thinking that for those times was particularly progressive.
Smuglevicz expressed himself as a political artist during a difficult period for his homeland, but he also worked in the religious genre, emphasizing the agency of an individual and of the nation. Unfortunately, this fascinating artist left almost no autodocuments, and his worldview can only be interpreted through examining his artworks. This paper will therefore not only present the largely unknown work, but will also treat it as Franciszek Smuglewicz’s autodocument, reflecting the artist’s aesthetic, political and religious ideas.

Short Bio

Irena Vaišvilaitė, is a professor of Cultural History at the Faculty of History of Vilnius University. Her academic interests are Lithuanian-Polish Commonwealth artistic and religious history and culture during the 17th, 18th, and 20th centuries. She received a PhD in Art History at the Moscow State University University, and a PhD in Church History at the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome.
Prof. Vaišvilaitė published books and articles on the historical Lithuania in the Baroque era, the confessional culture of the 17th -18th centuries, and the heritage of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Her current teaching includes Heritage of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Introduction to European Culture, Introduction to Visual Culture and International Legal and Administrative System of Heritage Protection. Prof. Vaišvilaitė oversees the Lithuanian Science Council-funded research project "Pranciškus Smuglevičius - European Enlightenment Representative of Both Nations in the Republic" (2022-2024).

Author

• Irena Vaišvilaitė, Vilnius University