Albinas Elskus (1926–2007) – stained glass artist, painter, essayist, passionate sailor. Having spent a large part of his life in exile in the United States, he became a legendary figure and one of the greatest authorities in the world of stained glass. In 2000, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Stained Glass Association, and his book The Art of Painting on Glass, which he wrote, has been reprinted several times and is still considered the best study of the genre.
Drawing on wallpaper, war and the fulfillment of artistic dreams
The life journey of A. Elskas was similar to the fates of other compatriots who left Lithuania. For his hard work, talent and dedication to art, he was rewarded with success, recognition from colleagues, and awards.
The future stained glass artist was born in 1926. in Kaunas. Father Petras Bielskis-Elskus was a captain of the Lithuanian army and lived with his family in the temporary capital. While studying at the gymnasium, A. Elskus painted and poured watercolors. At that time, it was difficult to get the necessary materials, so the future stained glass artist painted on wallpaper paper. Fascinated by stained glass during the Second World War, he could not fully study it.
“When I went to the Art School in Kaunas (Kaunas Institute of Applied and Decorative Arts – ed. post.), I first saw the stained glass windows made by students who had previously studied here. The teacher was Stasys Ušinskas. Then I told myself that stained glass is what I would do. Stained glass is for me. However, because of the war, colored glass or any other material could not be obtained at that time. Everything we did was on paper. And the school was closed quite quickly”, A. Elskus told cultural patron and art researcher Beatriče Kleizaita-Vasaris.
As the occupation army of the USSR approached, the young artist moved to Germany, then to the United States. Here he started his career in large stained glass workshops in Chicago and New York, eventually establishing an independent stained glass studio. In a career spanning half a century, he created large-scale stained glass for more than a hundred shrines in the United States and Canada. Having learned the secrets of Gothic stained glass windows, the artist flooded the sanctuaries of the United States with harmoniously arranged heavenly light, in which biblical stories are depicted by combining classical principles of composition with quotes from modern abstract art, neorealism, the elements of heaven and earth, emotional and rational beginnings merge into a whole.
“As an artist, the world of stained glass in the United States highly values Albina Elskas, he is a special artist, a person who developed a strong, unique technique and methodology for painting on glass, wrote a textbook for this art form, regularly conducted courses and master classes in the United States, Canada, and Japan. Many contemporary stained glass painters consider A. Elskas as their teacher. He is a cult figure in the US. At the mention of his name, there are voices filled with admiration all around. And here in Lithuania we know very little about this personality. I wanted to show this outstanding person in Lithuania. Finally, he is returning to Lithuania with his work”, – the curator names the reason for organizing the exhibition.
“Heavenly Light”
The first stained glass windows were created to decorate Gothic churches, to elevate the human soul to the feeling of God. Ž. Mirinavičius states that religious connotation is not necessary in the context of the exhibition, but draws attention to the exceptional effect of stained glass art on human experience.
“Stained glass is the art of light, it is transparent colored glass in windows facing the sky, light and sun. He falls asleep when the sun goes down and is reborn, revived when it shines. It is miraculous that stained glass windows themselves become a source of light. In poetic terms, it illuminates the thoughts of a person and the person himself,” says the curator of the exhibition.
The curator of the exhibition is a stained glass artist himself, so the relationship with the exhibited works is special. “A stained glass artist must deal with light responsibly – understand its effect on the interior, the building and the person inside. In a sense, the task of the stained glass artist is to direct the light. Albinas Elskus is a virtuoso of stained glass directing: composing colors, combining composition dynamics, graphics, choosing images, he perfectly understood the effect of light and how colored stained glass light can affect the interior,” shares Ž. Mirinavičius.
The curator claims that A. Elskus was able to combine seemingly different goals: to compose vibrantly and boldly, but at the same time to respect the interior so that the light does not overshadow it, but rather fills and illuminates it.
“Albins Elskus was able to look very sensitively at the interior and hear what he needed: in one place he used light colors, in others darker colors, there were also cases when he painted with transparent, very light pigments on light glass,” says the curator of the exhibition.
Chamber stained glass windows, sketches and stained glass artist’s work table
The exhibition exhibits the artist’s paintings, watercolors, and drawings. One of the central axes is a chamber-scale artist’s stained glass works.
“It is not possible to bring the big works of A. Elskaus, but we are happy that we can exhibit the smaller works. And the big ones – their weight, scale, ambition and ambitions – will be seen in 2006. The documentary “Divine Light” created by Gytis Lukšas. The author himself went to the USA, visited the workplace of A. Elskaus, filmed his works. This is a unique document that allows you to get closer to both A. Elskaus’s work and personality,” says Ž. Mirinavičius.
When one imagines stained glass windows, huge works appear before the eyes that adorn the windows of churches or secular buildings. In the exhibition “Albinas Elskus. Celestial light” exhibits chambered stained-glass windows. The curator of the exhibition Ž. Mirinavičius reveals the specifics of the stained glass artist’s work and answers the question why chamber-type stained glass appears in the creative biography of a stained glass creator.
“A stained glass artist’s main bread is monumental works, but after all we are artists, we want to participate in exhibitions, research and cultivate new ideas and techniques. We want to improve in terms of craftsmanship and craft: to compose better, to paint better, to feel light better. We constantly create small-format works that travel to exhibitions, become part of private collections, and appear in museums. The desire to experiment is often revealed in chamber works,” says Ž. Mirinavičius, curator of the exhibition, scientist and stained glass artist.
Light is perhaps the most important element of stained glass art. The work unfolds differently, filled with morning, day, and evening light. Even as the seasons change, the work appears differently. Similar to monumental stained glass windows, chamber stained glass windows must be exposed to natural light to come to life.
“It would be ideal if the stained-glass windows were displayed on the window at the exhibitions. After all, stained glass is a kinetic art. Stained glass is alive,” says the curator of the exhibition.
An important element of the exhibition is the restored work table of the stained-glass artist, revealing the artist’s working kitchen.
According to the curator, A. Elskus is also important as a pedagogue, who wrote an important textbook in the world of stained glass “The Art of Painting on Glass”. This book is an unsurpassed teaching tool, a kind of bible for stained glass artists.
Albinas Elskus and Kazys Varnelis: one teacher, similar destinies and warm words
It is not by chance that the exhibition of works by Albinos Elskaus appears in the branch of the National Museum of Lithuania in the house-museum of Kazis Varnelis. Both artists are people of a similar fate. They studied under the same teacher – Stasis Ušinskas at the Kaunas Institute of Applied and Decorative Arts, both went to Germany during the war, and later lived in the USA for many years.
According to Ž. Mirinavičius, Kazys Varnelis responded positively about Albina Elska. “I had to communicate with K. Varnelis for six years. He was usually very restrained in expressing compliments towards other artists, but he personally respected A. Elskas very much. He repeatedly told me that A. Elskus is the best stained glass artist in the USA. If K. Varnelis said that about him, it means a lot”, smiles the curator of the exhibition Ž. Mirinavičius.
The exhibition was coordinated by dr. Daiva Vaišnienė, architecture was created by Gabrielė Černiavskaja, graphic design by Justinas Dadonas.
Exhibition “Albin Elskus. “Heavenly Light” in the Kazis Varnelis House-Museum branch of the National Museum of Lithuania will be open from 2024. November 6 until 2025 August 31 The opening of the exhibition is on November 6, at 6 p.m., at the Kazis Varnelis house-museum of LNM.
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